Stay With Me
by mtomaone
Summary: Summary: A new PI is called into town by one of Port Charles' residents to work alongside McCall and Jackal PI. What does Jason do when he feels that this new guy is a threat to his and Sam's relationship? What happens when he is too busy guarding Brenda? A new case turns into so much more and Jason has to fight to make sure that he doesn't lose the woman he loves.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Riding up the elevator at Harbor View Towers, Sam thought about all the events that had been happening for the past week and how they have taken a toll on her and Jason's relationship. Was she pissed off that he was guarding Brenda? No. Was she pissed off that Brenda was living with him? Hell yes. There was a perfectly empty penthouse right across from his, but because she was a complete spoiled brat that did dumb and reckless things, he couldn't keep her out of his sight. Reminds you of a two year old going through their terrible twos. In a way Sam understood, Brenda wasn't capable of protecting herself and who better to do it than the local mob enforcer, oh yeah and her ex husband. Sam cringed at that last thought, she didn't want to think about Jason being married to that super model and do gooder, Courtney was bad enough with her angelic wings and halo, now she had to deal with a freakin model. Oh great. Sam remembered seeing her for the first time, she was really pretty, beautiful silky hair, big dark eyes, and thin, if you like that kind of thing. And while Sam loved to eat cheeseburgers and drink beer, Brenda was into organic everything and plain water. Talk about night and day. Jason had told her repeatedly that he loved her and that he wanted to be with only her. She should be happy, ecstatic even, but hadn't he said that before.

Now shaking THOSE thoughts from her head, she needed to stay on the task at hand: Apologize to Jason. They had gotten into it earlier that day, she fought with him, stupidly accused him of basically being the person he had always been, a protector and a great friend, and she practically threw him out of her apartment when Brenda 'Organic' Barrett called with her latest crisis; apparently someone was following her. It wasn't fair of her, she had always told him that she would never change him and that's exactly what she was doing. She knew there was nothing going on between Jason and Brenda, she knew that Brenda loved and wanted to be with Sonny, Sam just hated not being a priority, or at least in the top five. Ok, that wasn't fair, since they had gotten back together, she was up there. Sighing heavily, she stepped off the elevator and headed towards Jason's penthouse only to run into Max and Milo, her favorite guards. "Hey guys." She waved smiling up at them. "Is Jason in?"

"Yeah, him and Miss Barrett are home." Max said as he opened the penthouse door for her. He noticed how her smile faltered and he wanted to fix it. "But Mr. C will be coming over to take Miss Barrett out on date." Her smile was back and Max was happy to see it. He had always cared for Sam, she was the best thing that ever happened to Jason and she was really nice and great to all the employees.

"Thanks Max." She smiled brightly and walked in only to find the first floor completely empty. She figured that with Jason and Brenda in the same room together, there would be a whole lot of screaming and fighting going on, but the only noise she heard was Max shutting the door behind her. Kind of perplexed at the quiet surroundings, Sam decided to head up to the stairs thinking that maybe they were in their own rooms. 'He probably sent her to her room for a time out.' Chuckling to her thought, she called out to him. "Jason…" No answer. Rounding the corner of the hallway, Sam headed to Jason's room feeling a little uneasy. "Jason…" She called again, a sense of worry set in. Normally he would have responded by now.

Coming to a stop at his bedroom door, Sam noticed that it was cracked slightly, which was an odd thing all in itself, Jason was a private person. "Jason?" She called again, feeling a chill run up her spine, she felt it, something bad was about to happen, she accepted it, anticipated it almost but what she found when she took a deep breath and opened the door was completely unexpected….. Jason and Brenda asleep in bed together.

 **Chapter 1:**

A week earlier…..

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Sam rushed in and took her seat across from Robin at the table in the Metro Court for lunch. Robin had called her to hire Sam for a case and Sam had to admit that her curiosity was peaked. What had happened that Robin needed to call a PI for? "I got caught up in another case."

"It's no problem, I just got here too, I dropped Emma off at Maxie's, she wanted to take her shopping." Robin said rolling her eyes at her cousin's shopping addiction. She smiled up at the other woman, but noticed that something was off. "I couldn't help but notice that you've been pretty busy lately, almost throwing yourself in cases…." Seeing the blush creep up in Sam's cheeks at her assumption, Robin knew she was getting close. "Maybe to avoid someone, Jason perhaps... or Brenda…"

Dropping her menu back to the table, Sam took a breath to control herself. "Look Robin, I know that she's your friend and…."

"It's ok Sam, just let it out, what has she done now?"

"NOTHING." She reined and took a hold of her emotions at seeing Robin's wide eyes with her outburst. " Sorry. That's the problem Robin, she's actually pretty nice and… she's… she's just…. Ugh… I don't even know what she is, but she gets under my skin, you know, I mean I know she's in danger and I know she needs protecting but come on… she's living in that penthouse with Jason, my boyfriend, and I can barely get a few minutes with him alone before she comes and bitches and moans about something. And of course Jason is sweet and kind and he would do anything to help out a friend, but seriously…." She explained, her hands waving chaotically all over the place. "OH… Oh and Spinelli… with his whole 'Divine One' crap, he's barely at the office anymore, running around catering to her every need and getting her organic everything… And her and her super model looks and thin body…. And… and…You know what…. I'm hungry…." She finishes her rant long enough to call over a waiter rudely. Looking up at the amused look on Robin's face, Sam changed the subject, content enough that she let off some steam. "Are you ready to order? Go ahead you first."

Robin couldn't remove the smile on her face if her life depended on it, Sam was downright hilarious when she rambled on and on. She knew her friend was going to be a problem in Sam and Jason's relationship but honestly Sam had nothing to worry, Brenda loved Sonny and Jason practically worshipped Sam. Looking up at the waiter after her chuckle, she ordered. "I'll have the Chicken Caesar Salad, please." The waiter nodded politely and took her menu then turned to the fiery brunette. He kept the smile wide on his face, half amused at her tantrum and half scared that she would jip him out of his tip for her pissed off mood.

Picking up the menu again, Sam was torn between healthy and not so healthy. Having being sick and tired of organic whatever and Brenda's thin size zero body, Sam decided. "What's the fattiest steak on the menu?" She asked the waiter seriously and was only answered by a look of disbelief. She could hear Robin cracking up at her but she paid no mind. "You know, just give a really big, juicy steak, oh and a baked potato, loaded, with lots of fatty sour cream and lots of fatty butter, and…. I suppose I should have some vegetables, just make sure that they have a lot of fatty butter on them, the fattier the better…" She handed him her menu. "Oh and a beer, please… and make sure you come back for my desert order…." She turned back to a laughing Robin and missed the horrified look on the waiters face as he ran away. "Why should I have to watch my calorie intake? I'm not a freakin model, I don't need to be as thin as that toothpick, Jason likes me just the way I am." She finished smiling a little too brightly.

"Sam…" Robin clutched her side to prevent from rupturing her spleen from laughing so hard. "You didn't have to do that, Jason loves you. and I know that you have nothing to be worried about, she is in love with Sonny, she has been practically her whole life and nothing will change that. I have to be honest with you and tell you that I'm glad she's staying with Jason, I don't want anything to happen to her, especially with the Balkan out there."

"I know…. I KNOW… and I'm sorry, it just makes me crazy." She pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom really quick and then you can tell me what this case is all about."

As soon as Sam walked away, Robin was greeted with a sight that she hadn't seen in a long time, her cousin stepping off the elevator and walking towards her, Aidan Devane. She hadn't seen him in years, the last she heard was that he was living in Pine Valley. She was just glad to finally get in touch with him after all these years to help her out with her situation. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" She heard his English accent come through with his greeting. "Aidan, I've miss you." She stood up and let him envelope her in a tight hug. "How have you been? Last I heard you were in Pine Valley." She said while motioning him to sit in the chair next to her.

"I've been good, actually went back to Special Opps, I'm glad you called me cousin, I've missed you, now tell me all about this husband and baby of yours…" Aidan leaned over as Robin pulled out her wallet to show him pictures of Patrick and Emma, he listened as she talked and gushed about her family. He was so happy to hear that his cousin was doing well, with him, Anna and Robert in Special Opps Forces, it was hard to keep in touch. He was glad that she called him to help her out with her situation but he wasn't thrilled to know that she was in any kind of danger. Her message on his phone was brief, something about using his PI skills to catch a psychotic obsessed ex girlfriend of Patrick's who was tormenting her. He was engrossed in the picture of his niece when a soft husky sound broke through and sent a shiver down his spine. He looked up to find a vision before him. Small, petite, with silky dark hair, dark whiskey eyes that sent a flame down his body almost as if he was taking a shot of it, full delectable lips, stunning figure and full round generous breasts. His walking wet dream just walked right up to him.

"Hey, sorry about that." Sam noticed the man to her left, almost startled at first but then she remembered that on the phone Robin had mentioned calling in her cousin to help out. She just didn't know that her cousin was drop dead sexy.

"And who is this gorgeous creature?"

And then she came.

Sam couldn't help but feel a little dizzy at the sound of his voice and the accent. He was from England and if this is a taste of what those men are like over there, then she just might need to make a trip. But one thing was missing though, he didn't have blue eyes. In spite of this whole Brenda thing, Sam was and will always be completely devoted to Jason, he was the love of her life and no matter how much this new cool drink of water flirts with her or talks her into another orgasm with his accent, Sam would never stray. Extending out her hand, she introduced herself. "Sam McCall."

"Aidan Devane." He gently took her soft hand in his, lifting it to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"Aidan is my cousin and he's that other PI I was telling you about. Sam here…" Robin gestured over to Sam. "Is also a PI and owns her own firm, along with her friend Spinelli. I called you guys here to hopefully help me out. I know you guys are the best, and I just figured that if you two worked together with Spinelli of course, it would so much easier and safer." She sighed heavily. "I just want this nightmare to end before it ruins my family."

"Of course, dear cousin, anything you need." Aidan didn't like the desperation he heard from Robin's voice. She said things were bad, he just didn't think they were this bad. Now that he took a better look at her, he could tell that things were taking a toll on her, under her eyes were dark, her body language was a little lazy and she sighed repeatedly when she talked about her family, almost wishing for something more. Aidan was going to find out and eliminate the problem and he was completely ecstatic to find himself working with another PI, a beautiful one.

Robin sat back a bit after hearing Aidan place his order to the waiter, she wasn't sure exactly what was going on but she had a feeling. She took a breath and explained. "There is a new doctor at GH, her name is Lisa Niles, Patrick's ex girlfriend from college, and I think that she's coming after me."

"Fatal Attraction type of thing?" Sam asked, she knew of the doctor but not her relationship or lack thereof with Patrick.

"I think so, only I can't prove it. The other day I was in the lab doing some research and I stepped out for a minute, but when I came back, Emma's stuffed bunny was boiling in the beaker."

"What the hell? Ehh…. It is a Fatal Attraction type of thing. Did you tell Patrick?" Sam asked sitting back and ignoring the amused look on the waiter's face as he not so gently placed her fat meal on the table. She ignored Robin's laughter and Aidan's curious stare at the huge…. Cow size steak on her plate. "I'm hungry." She felt the need to explain embarrassed sitting next to a hot English guy. "I'll take it home for dinner." Or scarf it up and throw it up later, especially if she saw Brenda later at Jason's. "Please continue Robin." She ate and listened as Robin explain her and Patrick's theories. This Lisa Niles was one crazy and dangerous bitch.

He couldn't help but chuckle, some men would be totally grossed out by the idea of a woman eating more than her own weight, but he was fascinated with her, something was going on with her and he just couldn't wait to be included in all of it. Now that he and Sam will be working together, he hoped to get all the alone time he can with her.

Carly sat up at the bar, watching as the three sat on the table. She watched curiously as Robin received a call and had to leave, leaving Sam and tall dark and handsome alone, having lunch together. It looked innocent but Jason didn't know that. She was sick and tired of Brenda wreaking havoc on her life and on Jason's life. Jason was stuck protecting her, Sonny was fawning all over her, and Jax was bending over backwards to make sure that she was safe and comfortable. And that just pissed off Carly. Jason was her best friend, Sonny was her children's father, and Jax was her husband, but all those three could only seem to talk about was Brenda. Brenda, Brenda, Brenda…. UGHH! Well not anymore, she was going to reclaim her life and make Jason reclaimed his as well. Her best friend deserved to be happy and if Sam does that for him, than great, she'll cheer them on from the sidelines.

Picking up her phone, she dialed his number and waited for him to answer. "What Carly? I'm busy right now." Hearing his annoyance and loss of patience pissed her off and spurred her on like nothing before. No doubt Brenda was annoying him…. GOOD! "Well hello to you too Jason! Are you too busy with Brenda to not even notice that your GIRLFRIEND is on a date with a very sexy man, right here at the Metro Court?"

"What are you talking about? Sam said she's meeting Robin for lunch."

"Oh she did, but then Robin left, leaving Sam and this guy… alone…. Together…. ALONE… did I men how sexy he is, oh and he's British." She smiled at the heavy breathing coming from the phone. Yup, she got him.

"I'll be right there." He all but growled out in her ear.

She laughed as she sat back and drank her white wine. Things at the Metro Court were about to get more interesting and she had front row seats.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jason could hear her laughter coming through the phone as he hung up. She was taunting him and he had a pretty good idea what it was all about… Brenda. He was sick and tired of it, of all of it, he needed this protection detail to be over with, he needed to find the Balkan, kill him, and get Brenda on the first flight back to Rome, or at least out of his penthouse immediately. Since he brought Brenda back from Roma, she had been nothing but a huge pain in his side, she whined, she bitched and moaned, she fought with him on every detail of her protection, and she had Spinelli fawning all over her and following her like a sick puppy. She was infuriating and he was sick and fucking tired of it all. And on top of everything, he barely saw Sam anymore. He missed her, he missed having her around, he missed eating Chinese with her on the floor, he missed sitting alone together in front of the fireplace, and he especially missed having her sleeping next to him in their bed. Now he just had to figure out who the hell this guy was that was having lunch with HIS girlfriend. Just thinking about another man in close proximity to Sam ignited a burning flame within him, especially if said man was talking, laughing, and ogling her. Carly didn't say much but she did say that Robin was there so it must be someone who she knows, but he couldn't think of anyone that she would know that was Brittish, besides her mother. Grabbing his jacket and keys off the desk, Jason was ready to storm into the Metro Court and stake his claim, he didn't care who the guy was, and he didn't care that Carly found the guy sexy, in his eyes, he was just a prick getting ready to hit on his girl and Jason wasn't haven't it. Sam was off limits.

Hearing Brenda come down the stairs, he head to the door barely even looking at her. "Stay inside, I'll be right back." He was already annoyed knowing that a fight was about to happen, he could feel, it was his skin was crawling.

"What do you mean stay inside? I have a date with Sonny and I'm sick of being in this penthouse all day. I want to go out."

He watched as she put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot, looking like a spoiled five year not getting her way, and he begged God for patience, he could already feel the headache coming on. Choosing not to engage, he picked up his phone and dialed for reinforcements, Sonny. "Hey, I'm leaving and I need you to come and watch her, NOW!" He hung up, not caring how rude he was or how demanding he sounded, he needed to leave and he didn't trust Brenda not to go out on her own. Turning to her, he kept his voice calm and cool. "Do not leave until Sonny…." He didn't get the chance to finish…of course.

"Wait, wait, wait, excuse me… you do not get to tell me what to do… What are you my father? I can leave when ever…."

"ENOUGH!" He didn't expect it come out like a yell, and judging from her wide eyes, neither did she. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, all the while clenching and unclenching his fists. "The Balkan is still out there and I have to leave, so do NOT go anywhere until Sonny gets here. Look, I don't like this as much as you do, so we just have to make the best of this situation."

"So I'm just supposed to be trapped in here this whole time?"

"Well instead of sending Spinelli on those stupid errands of yours, why don't you let him finally do his job so that he can find out who this Balkan guy is so that we can take care of him." Opening the doors he called for his guards a little too loudly, his patience was running out. "Max! Milo! Stay in here and make sure that she doesn't leave until Sonny gets here." Without giving them a chance to respond, he walked out and slammed the door behind him.

Stepping into the elevator, he repeatedly stabbed at the Lobby button despite knowing that the elevator wouldn't go any faster, he was just desperate to get out of there and desperate to get to Sam. Seeing her would calm the raging beast that lives within him, she was the love of his life, his life line, and remembering Carly's words "sexy, Brittish guy" running through his mind wasn't helping him relax. Looking down, he hadn't even realized that he had a tight grip on his 9 mm , so tight that his knuckles had turned white and the muscles of his arm were tense. His patience was completely gone, Brenda annoyed him, Sonny was pissing him off, and Spinelli was getting on his nerves. Taking a deep breath as he conjured Sam's beautiful face in his mind, he instantly relaxed. Making sure the safety was on, he tucked his gun back into the waist band of his jeans, he just prayed that this guy she was having lunch with didn't give him a chance to use it.

"So, Samantha, tell me something about yourself." Aidan asked as he took a bite of his dinner. He remembered Robin telling him on the phone that he was going to be working with a Sam McCall, but she never said that Sam was a girl, a gorgeous girl to be exact. So imagine his surprise when he used the high tech computers at the Special Opps headquarters to run a thorough background check, that Sam McCall was Samantha, con artist turned Everyday Hero turned PI. And her picture didn't do her justice, on paper she was beautiful, but in real life she was like a dream. A walking wet dream. Her rap sheet was a mile long, including many arrests, solicitation, murder (in self defense) and many, many other thing he was dying to hear about. He was impressed and completely captured by her.

Sitting back after devouring her meal, Sam eyed him warily. "I'm sure you know all about me from the background check that you've already done." Taking a swing from her beer, she set it back down and folded her hands on her lap. "After all, I'll be doing the same as soon as I head back to the office."

Mimicking her actions, Aidan sat back in his chair as well, having finished with his meal. "You're right, but there is so much more to be learned from the actual person than what you can find on paper. Your arrest record actually froze up the computer." Hearing her soft laughter, he suddenly yearned to hear more of it. "Tell me something about yourself Samantha, something no one else would know."

"You're not the first person to say that." She giggled remembering the cop that tried to them arrested at the pizza shack when they were trying to find Michael and Kristina last year. He said the same thing, but her favorite was when 'Deputy Do Right' called them 'a real life Bonnie and Clyde.' "What do you want to know about me?"

"Anything. I have to tell you Samantha that I find you completely fascinating, and if this case that Robin hired us on wasn't so urgent, I would love to find out more about you. The question is: will you give me that chance?"

Choosing to ignore his question, even though she was flattered by it, Sam chose to stick to the topic of why they were hired. "Let's just stick with the case. Ok?" Seeing him nod in acceptance after a moment of hesitation, probably because he was determined to see that his cousin was safe, Sam broke it down. "Ok, so, whoever this Dr. Niles is, is causing Robin some trouble. We have to find a way to catch whatever she's doing as soon as possible before things get out of hand. I don't want anything to happen to Emma or her family."

"What do you suggest?"

"We could follow her, but she's way too smart to do anything out openly. We need to catch her red handed." Sam watched him warily, being careful with her next words. "What type of jurisdiction do you have in Port Charles…" Not seeing him understand, Sam reiterated. "Like authority…" Still no recognition. "Um… as her cousin I would think that you wouldn't give a shit if we broke the law. Right?"

Finally, he understood what she meant. "Sam, if the end results mean that my family is protected, I don't care if we have to kill the bitch to do it, whatever happens here will stay between us."

Sam was thankful that he understood before involving anyone else into this case. "So no cops, no Feds or Special Opps?"

Aidan couldn't help but smile at her determination. "I promise not to tell anyone, not involve anyone without your permission, and to keep whatever secrets we have safe. You have my word." Seeing her triumphant smile caused his heart to clench, something that hadn't happen to him in a long time. After everything that he had done in Pine Valley to Kendall and Zach, he had no right to judge or her unlawful actions. What he did was horrendous, something he never thought he could do; he kept a woman away from her husband and children, all for his sick obsession. As soon as he was arrested, he was shipped back off to the Special Opp headquarters by his superior. He was given a deal, doing jail time for kidnapping, or going back to the forces and have the arrest erased off his record. He went back to the forces, until that call from Robin. No one would ever find out the real reason he left Pine Valley.

"Ok. I believe you, I may not trust you only because I don't know you, but I believe that you would do anything to keep your family safe. So… I thought that maybe we could break into her home, set up cameras, a listening device, something to know what she is planning. Then I could have Spinelli…"

"Who's Spinelli?"

"Damion Spinelli, he's the Jackal part of McCall and Jackal PI. He's "the assassination of cyber space", I'll have him link up to the computers at the General Hospital, maybe we can catch her that way."

"You mean hack."

"We don't use that word any longer, not since the problem with the FBI, LINK is an appropriate term, or whatever." She waved her hand dismissively. "Anyways, here is my phone number and my addresses, to the office and my apartment." She handed him her business card after she wrote down her home address. "I work from home a lot of times, and I figure that if we're going to be glued to the computers, we might want to be comfortable." She saw his dashing smile and blushed at realizing his was probably picturing them hanging out at her place. If she wasn't with Jason, then maybe, but she would never, she was in love with that man and always would be.

Liking the idea of getting comfortable with her, Aidan chose to approach the topic again. "So, are you seeing anyone?"

"Yeah, **ME**!"Jason growled out.

Aidan looked up to the tall muscular man that just approached hovering over Samantha, with his arm the other man possessively snaked it around her as she stood up. He had her wrapped up protectively and Aidan didn't like it. He was wearing black leather jacket that made his blue eyes look hard and threatening. Looking back at Samantha, he could see that she was just as shocked as he was.

"Jason!" She was surprised but happy to see him. She hadn't seen in a few days and she missed him terribly. "Hey, what are you doing here?" Noticing the menacing glare he had on Aidan, Sam instinctively looked around, probably looking for the quickest exit in case things got heated and stopped short, noticing Carly laughing over at the bar. She narrowed her eyes and turned back to Jason, slightly disappointed that probably the only reason he came looking for her was because Carly called him. "Let me guess, Carly called." She knew she was right from the guilt she saw as he abruptly turned to her. Sighing, Sam tried to step back but topped moving when Jason's arm tightened around her waist, she realized she had to explain. "Robin called us to work together on the case…" She motioned to the man sitting down, not liking the teasing smile on his face. "Aidan Devane…" She pointed to the man standing next to her. "Jason Morgan."

Seeing the recognition in the cold enforcer's eyes, Aidan elaborated. "Robin is my Aunt Anna's daughter, she's my cousin, and Samantha here is going to help me take the woman that's terrorizing her down." He knew all about this man, when he saw it come up more than once on Samantha's record, he checked into his background as well, and what he found was quiet scary and….. impressive.

Wanting to explain further and hope to relieve the tension coming off of Jason that was suddenly choking the air, Sam explained further. "This Dr. Niles chick is crazy and Robin thought it best that we worked together, I mean do you know the shit that's she's doing to Robin, following her and Emma around, boiling stuffed bunnies in beakers, it's really sick Jason and she needs to get caught before she hurts somebody."

Softening up as he looked at her, Jason kept his voice soft despite of the worry that suddenly crept up. "Maybe you shouldn't be involved in this, its sounds too dangerous Sam." Seeing the warning look she was suddenly giving him, Jason proceeded with caution. "She's already gotten to Robin, I mean why else would Robin involve you guys, maybe you should sit this one out." He knew he was wrong as soon as she saw him shove his arm and step back to glare at him.

"Excuse me! Jason! Robin is a friend, and your ex girlfriend if I might add, she asked me to help her and her family to catch some psycho bitch that wants to hurt her, and you bet your ASS that I'm NOT going to just sit this one out." Collecting her jacket and shoving it on, she turned back to him. "You know what Jason, I'll take a page out of your book and tell you that I'm just protecting and helping out a friend." She sneered at him than looked down to Aidan. "I'll call you later." Then turned at walked out without giving Jason a glance, she could vaguely hear Carly laughing in the background. Bitch.

Watching Samantha storm out of the Metro Court, Aidan stood up and grabbed his jacket readying to leave as well. "Well you certainly know how to drive her away, mate."

"Don't call me that." Jason snapped at the cocky bastard.

Aidan picked up the check that the waiter just set on the table, checked the outrageous price and closed back the folder that it came in. "She doesn't like to be told what to do, thanks for that hard earned lesson, I'll remember that next time." He slapped the folder on his chest, not intimated by the man one bit, sure Jason Morgan was a big and dangerous man but Aidan Devane was trained to kill a man with one blow, he was no pussy himself. "Take care of this, will you…. Mate." He stressed the last word, knowing that Jason would hate it but they were in a public place and there was nothing the guy to do about it. Aidan walked out, realizing that the gloves were off, Jason should be prepared for some man to man competition. The prize… Samantha.

Jason stood there for a moment, running through his mind what just happened. Sam was pissed off at him because he wanted to keep her safe. Granted this whole Brenda thing threw everyone off their axis, but Jason just wanted to help his friend and he sometimes can't focus on the outcome, a result from his accident. He gets so focused on one thing that he loses sight on another. Obviously with the way Sam was feeling lately, he has to work harder on that. Choosing to ignore the way Carly was in full blown laughter, probably because he was the one stuck with the check, he dropped the bill on the table along with a handful of money and walked out. He had to find Sam and make it up to her….. after he beat the shit out of that cocky son of a bitch. Remembering the way the asshole was staring at HIS Sam made his blood boil, from now on, he better keep his eyes to himself or he'll be losing them, along with another favored part of his anatomy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

They had been at it for hours, to find something, anything that they could on the good Dr. Lisa Niles, but have come up empty. Sam had called Aidan to come down to her office so that they could run a background on her. They found nothing, no crimes, no felonies, no misdemeanors, hell not even a slap on the wrist. In high school she was a popular kid who got straight A's, she had recommendations from five different teachers all praising her on a job well done, basically securing her way into a good college. In her college years, she took all the advanced classes, got straight A's and still found time to party with the rest of the crowd. They figured that was where she met Patrick. So how did this popular straight A student now doctor turn into some psycho bunny boiling bitch? No one knew. Sam knew firsthand how jealousy and desperation could turn you into someone you don't recognize, someone you hate and didn't think you would ever become. The only difference is, is that Robin was not some home wrecking slut who got pregnant with Lisa's fiancé, Robin and Patrick had been married, long before Lisa blew her psycho ass into town and together, out of that love, they created a precious baby girl, Emma.

Having found absolutely nothing at the office, Sam decided that a comfortable atmosphere and some food would help them relax and keep the tension away so that their minds would be able to focus. She called Spinelli and told him and Aidan to come back to her apartment so that they could go with the next phase. Hack…. Link into hospital security. Between the three of them, they each had their own laptop, Spinelli had set up Sam's to bounce from camera to camera on each of the floors along with the stair wells and exits. On Aidan's laptop, Spinelli had set up a search to keep track of any purchases that Lisa made using her credit cards or accounts. So for the past couple hours, laptops along with Chinese takeout were littered across Sam's coffee table. They just hoped that they would be able to find something soon before they took more drastic measures. And just to make sure that Robin was safe, they made her call in every hour just to let them know that everything was fine. That was something that Aidan stressed, he needed that reassurance, Sam understood, she knew that he wanted to keep his cousin safe the same way that she felt about Danny and her sisters.

"Well, the Jackal has done all he can for Fair Samantha and Aidan PI. If the Jackal is no longer needed, then he shall retire back to casa de Stone Cold in order to see to the Divine One's needs." Spinelli said as he packed up his things and headed for the door.

Rolling her eyes, Sam spoke up knowing how him catering Brenda's needs annoyed Jason. "Hey Spinelli, instead of catering to Brenda's needs, maybe you should cater to Jason's."

Perking up at the thought of helping out his master, Spinelli couldn't wait to ask to hear the answer that would open Stone Cold up to the young hacker. "What does Stone Cold wish of me? The Jackal would do anything for his master, I am but a student seeking his master's guide."

"He needs you to quit playing a servant to Brenda and find the Balkan." Seeing the defeat in his shoulders, Sam knew what kind of pressure he was under. Weeks of searching brought him nothing but dead ends and Sam could see the stress rolling off of her partner as well as Jason. "I know you're doing all that you can Spinelli, and that's all that Jason asks of you. But can you please dial this whole 'Divine One' thing down a notch and just do what he tells you to do, no talk back and no arguments. Please…"

"Is Stone Cold upset with the Jackal?"

"No, not really upset, but he does think that you are not taking his orders seriously. He thinks that you're too busy running around town for Brenda then you are searching for the person that's threatening her life."

"The Jackal feels most ashamed with this distressing news." Standing up taller and squaring his shoulders, Spinelli was determined. "No worries, I shall fly home and do the duty that my humble and most loyal master had graced upon me." He turned and almost ran out the door.

Seeing Adian shake his head at the poor kid's exit, Sam wondered what he was thinking. "What?"

"That kid is weird, half the time I have no idea what he was saying. How do you do it?"

"You get used to it after a while." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you going to tell me how you acquired such a rare gem?"

"Oh shush, he's a really good kid, great with computers, I mean look at this stuff. Hopefully we'll be able to find something on here." She went back to focus on the camera that was monitoring Lisa updating a chart at the nurses desk. Now Robin said that Lisa will only be in the hospital for another hour, and that was half an hour ago, if we don't find something on her that could incriminate her, then…"

"We break into her home and see what we can find." Aidan said finishing her sentence for her. Sam was looking at him with a puzzled expression and he needed to make her understand his situation. "Look Sam, I knew this isn't going to be easy, and if we have to break the law, believe me, I have no problem doing it, I just want to be there to help you search so that we can finally bring this bitch down before someone gets hurt." Seeing her nod in acceptance, Aidan could feel that sudden tightening in his chest, he never thought that he would be able to feel something so soon and so fast especially after meeting her earlier that very same day. The body heat from her sitting next to him was engulfing him and he really wanted to fully submerse himself in and in her, but it was still too fast and way too soon. He would just have to sit back and wait patiently for her boyfriend to fuck up before he made the move.

Hearing the door open, Sam tore her gaze away from the monitors to look up, a bright smile on her face from seeing Jason enter her apartment. She still had a hard time calling it home, the penthouse was the first home she had ever had and hopefully when Brenda leaves, it would be her last home. But one thing at a time first. Having put the argument from earlier away, Sam stood up and approached him. "Jason! Hey!" She stood on her toes and gave him a nice lingering kiss, hoping to warm up the ice that she saw in them when they landed on the other man at her apartment.

"What's going on here?" Jason finally regained his control after almost losing it at seeing the cocky bastard looking all too comfortable in his girlfriend's home.

"Spinelli linked up into the hospital security cameras so that we could watch Lisa right here. The office was getting too uncomfortable so I offered to move our stuff here to work on." She pulled him behind the couch so that they could view the cameras from a safe distance away from Aidan. "We have Robin calling us every hour to make sure that she is safe and to give us a head's up when Lisa leaves for the day." On cue, Aidan's cell phone rung, no doubt it was Robin. She waited to give Aidan a chance to speak to her before they closed up shop for the day.

"Ok, just be safe and I'll see you in a little bit." Aidan said into the phone before he hung up, and stood to turn to the two behind him. "That was Robin, she said that Lisa left for the night and Robin is on her way home as well. She invited me over for some drinks, so I'll be there to make sure she's safe." He picked up his jacket and laptop and headed for the door. "I'll give you a call tomorrow, goodnight Samantha." Choosing to ignore Jason, he blew her a kiss, knowing that this all was annoying her deadly fiancé.

"Goodnight Aidan, thanks for coming over, I'll see you tomorrow." Sam said as she disentangled herself from Jason and headed for the door. After locking up, she turned back to the blue eyed man she loved so much. "So…"

"I really don't like that guy." Not giving her a chance to reply to his comment, Jason jumped in. "Look Sam, I'm really sorry about earlier, I know how much you really care about your job, its just that it makes me crazy to think that your putting your life in danger."

"Robin came to me Jason, what did you want me to do, turn her down, tell her that my boyfriend said 'No' because he thought that this was too dangerous. She was desperate and I can't do that to her. Come on, you know you would do the same for her."

"You're right." He nodded in her assessment, knowing that she was absolutely right, he would do it to help Robin out, or any other friend for that matter." Holding her soft hands in his, he lifted them to his mouth and softly kissed them. "Just please be careful, and call me as soon as you need anything. I love you Sam and I couldn't bare it if anything happened to you."

"I love you too Jason." She wrapped her arms around his neck as their mouths met for a soft gentle kiss. "Only you . You are the only man that has ever accepted me for who I am, flaws and all and I will spend the rest of my life loving you, always."

At her words, the possessiveness Jason had always felt for Sam raged to the surface. Raw, primal arousal burned inside of him, hotter than ever before. Everything inside of him cried out for her, needing her, wanting her, not just her heart but her entire being. Pulling back, he spoke what was in his heart. "When I look at you, I don't see flaws, I see perfection. You are perfect Sam, perfect for me. I love you and I belong to you for as long as I live."

As he spoke the words that Sam always wanted to hear, she could feel the warmth coming off his body where they touched. It became a blistering heat that swirled in the pit of her stomach and shot down to her very core.

"Say it Sam, say that you belong to me too, only me." His was strained and husky, it sounded like it was taking all his power to control his body from attacking hers.

"Yes Jason, I belong to you."

The moment the last word left her mouth, he descended his lips directly over hers. She gasped at the sudden contact, giving him full access to thrust his tongue into her accepting mouth, moving, dancing, stroking along hers. She could feel his heat radiate off his body and through his shirt, but she needed more, she needed to feel him. Stepping back for only a moment, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and ripped it over his head, tossing it aside, not caring where it landed. Her hands immediately found the smooth expanse of his chest, running the palm of her hands up and down, side to side, catching his small nipples with her nails, making him hiss in pleasure. She loved this feel of him, smooth, strong, powerful. Needing a taste of him, Sam leaned down and licked a path from his navel to his neck, stopping to suck and graze each nipple with her tongue teeth along the way. She could feel his hands on the small of her back, lowering to her ass, gasping at the feel of his strong hands kneading her flesh through her jeans, she wished she was naked, she knew that it would only be a matter of time. He pulled her to him, grounding her hips to his as they made their way to her bedroom.

At the foot of the bed, he slithered his hand between her legs and played; the fabric of her jeans created a dizzying friction, her legs opened wide of their own accord. She pulled back from his kiss and moaned at the delicious feeling. He took advantage and leaned his lips lower to her neck, sucking and gently bighting the sweet flesh into his eager mouth. Everything in her flared to life, suddenly she needed more of him, more of the feeling that he was invoking her, wanting him, needing him to relieve the ache between her thighs, aching to be filled by him.

Needing her to be naked as he needed his next breath, Jason pulled back. "I need you Sam." Not waiting for her to respond, he gripped the neck of her shirt and ripped. Pushing the offending fabric off of her body and letting it float to the floor in pieces. He took possession of her mouth once again at hearing her gasp, his kiss was hard and it was demanding and Jason knew that she was loving every minute of it as he was.

Lost in the sensation of what Jason was doing to her, Sam closed her eyes, loving and feeling the way he was kissing her, the feel of his hands roaming all over her skin, to her back, unsnapping the bra before pushing it down her arms. Her breasts were lush and full, and the sight of them always made him tremble. He palmed one then the other, loving the way her eyes closed and her back arched, begging him to take more, to give her more. His lips left her mouth, moving down her neck, down her collarbone, down in the valley of her breasts and to her heavy mounds where he finally sucked a pearled nipple into his mouth. Enjoying the sound of her gasping his name, he moved to the other nipple to give the same attention as he gave the first sucking harder.

"Oh God, Jason…" She moaned out as she arched her body into him more. She needed more of his body, more of his heat. Her hands gripped his hair, holding him to her as he continued his attention to her hardened peaks, sucking, licking, pinching, tweaking them between his fingers.

Losing control of his himself, he ground her body to his, teasing her between her legs as she pushed and moved wantonly against him. When she was finally begging him to take her, to make her his, he jerked the rest of her clothes off of her and done the same to his as well. Suddenly they were both naked, gloriously naked, her beauty practically made his heart stop, then beat again, it only did that for her, with her, his heart only beat for her.

Needing to feel her, to feel her wetness, he dove his fingers to her core, between her legs, and what he found made him groan, she was wet and ready for him. But he wanted to give her more, to give her the release first. Using the tip of his finger, he spread the moisture over her soft folds, enjoying her moans and gasps of pleasures as she held onto his shoulders. He slowly sank one finger inside of her, then another, curling them at the tips to hit that special spot that made her…. "OH Jason!…" bow her body to him, her soft breasts pressed deliciously up against his hard chest. He hissed and loved the feeling of her nails digging into his skin. Her hips moving wantonly over his fingers, needing more, taking more as his palm was rubbing up against her sensitized clit. He thrust his fingers into her over and over again into a delicious rhythm. She cried out and screamed as her orgasm hit her, rubbing her body up against his already hard and aching shaft as his fingers moved inside of her.

With a growl, he claimed her mouth and dominated her, giving, pouring everything into their kiss. Lifting her up, he set her down in the middle of the bed and claimed his rightful place between her legs. She spread her legs wider for him, fitting his hard length where it was destined to go, she could feel the blunt thick crown of his erection probing her entrance, almost asking for permission. His hands held hers above her head, his mouth moving in time with her own, her legs spread wider for him, her hips moving of their own accord, and with one strong thrust, he impaled himself within her sweet soft warmth. They both cried out with the pleasure that was so intense, it made their eyes flutter, the feel of her wetness surrounding him, the feel of him filling her completely. They were made for each other.

"Ohhh baby, you feel so good." He groaned out as his hips grinded into hers, loving the feel of their connection. He moved slowly at first, enjoying the feeling of their bodies, but it wasn't enough. He felt her raise her own to him, a silent demand for him to go faster, to ride her harder, and he gladly obliged. He moved his hands down her body, clasped her hips and pumped into her, over and over again, harder and harder, driving into her with all his force, the bed creaked, the headboard moved all in time to his thrusts. He rode her hard, not wanting to slow down until they both reached the release that was fast approaching them. He could feel the tension running through his body, readying itself it release into her, he could feel her hips tighten around his readying for her own release than would accept his. Pounding into her with all his force, driving into hard just like he knew she loved, he felt his balls suddenly tighten and he knew he was close, suddenly she gasped, screamed his name and shattered. Feeling her juices coat him, one thrust, two, he exploded into her, growling her name out.

Gathering her up to him as he pulled out and laid on his back, he relished in the feeling of her curling into him. Her head on his chest, her arm over his stomach, his hand rested on her back, rubbing in a soothing motion. He looked down at her as she lifted her head.

"Are you staying the night?" She asked as she bit her bottom lip, almost afraid to hear his answer and it tore at his heart. He needed to be better for her, he needed to find the Balkan so that they could finally get back to their lives. He missed her in their home, and in their bed.

His only answer. "Nothing will tear me away from you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rolling over in bed, Jason smiled at the feel of Sam's body pressed up against his, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, her skin soft and smooth as silk, he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her scent, she smelled like sweet vanilla and jasmine. Not bothering to hide the raging hard on he had for her, he lowered his hand to her belly and pushed her up against him so that she could every inch of his erection cradled against her ass. Jason closed his eyes and groaned as he felt her stir and rub her juicy ass up against him, it wouldn't take long for him to explode. "I need you Sam, I'm not… not going to last baby…" He practically growled out as he sucked her ear lobe into his mouth. Hearing her moaning as she rubbed against his cock harder, bringing him closer to the edge, but when she took his hand and placed it not to gently on her breasts, where he felt her hard nipples begging for his attention, almost made him come on the spot.

Not being able to handle much more, he got up and crawled over her, settling between her legs as she cradled his body. Claiming her mouth with his own, Jason curled up his hips and pushed hard into her core causing her to cry out. Using the advantage, he explored her mouth with his tongue, kissed her hard and thorough, needing to taste her. Her breasts were bare and brushing up against his chest, loving the feeling of her hardened nipples stroking him. Releasing her mouth, he lowered his head and took one of her hardened peaks into his mouth, sucking her, licking her, he moved to the other breast and did the same all while he was pumping into her with such great force. Angling his hips, he knew he hit her spot when she arched her back and moaned. Harder and harder he drove into her, feeling her squeeze him, and then clench around him like a vice as she came. "Oh Jason….uhhhhhhh….." He couldn't hold back anymore, it was too fucking hot and wet inside of her, and his cock was about to erupt. Knowing his release was coming, he started to pump his hips harder, pound into her until he tensed up and exploded groaning out her name. "Ooohhhhh…. Sammmmm….."

Catching his breath, Jason pulled out gently and rolled over, both of them lying on their backs staring up at the ceiling, still feeling the aftershocks from their explosion. "That…. that was the best wakeup call…." He heard her whisper between breaths. He couldn't agree with her more. "Mmmhmm…" He had no words, every time with Sam was the best time, their connection was that strong, it never got boring, and they never tired of being together. He just wished that she would finally agree to move in with him. He knew she thought he asked only to reassure her that he loved her even though Brenda was moving in, but it had nothing to do with Brenda. It was never that complicated with Sam, you love each other, you move in together. Plain and simple. Jason never had any secret agendas or schemes up his sleeve, he was an open book, but only to his Sam.

Sam was on cloud nine, loving the feeling of her big strong enforcer in her bed, she wished things weren't complicated between them. She knew that Jason was easy and simple, you love each other then you move in together but she didn't want to live in that crowded animal house with Spinelli and Brenda. She wanted to move in with Jason alone, wanted to wake up with him every morning and go to bed together every night, she missed that most in their relationship, but she wasn't ready for that step yet. Not with Brenda freakin Barrett there and all that pink. Maybe when they finally catch the Balkan and move the princess out of their home will Sam reconsider Jason's request. "So…" Sam propped herself on her elbow as she faced him. "What're your plans for today?"

Turning his head, Jason watched as her eyes twinkled up, she was happy and excited and he was glad to see it. He knew that she was happy with her new assignment for Robin, it was something different from cheating spouses, but if Jason had his way, she'd only be doing cheating spouse cases. Less danger. Whatever was going on with Lisa and Robin was bad, especially for her to call in two PI's, one of them being her Special Ops cousin (another thing that Jason didn't like). Jason didn't trust this Aidan guy, didn't like him hanging around Sam, but he knew he had nothing to worry about, Sam was loyal to a fault, she would never betray him, and he would never betray her trust as well. They both learned from their mistakes in the past. He propped up his head on his elbow as well and reached up to move the stubborn piece of hair that fell in her eyes. "I have to go back to the penthouse and talk to Spinelli. He found a new lead yesterday and he's going to give me the specifics today. I might have to go out of town." Seeing her lower lip protrude, Jason couldn't help but lean in and suck it into his mouth, God he loved her lips. "It'll only be for a few hours, I should be back by tonight. He found out some guy accessed Alexander's safety deposit box at a bank in New York. Spinelli is finding out the information and hopefully a place for me to pay the guy a visit." He was glad to see her smile, and it made his heart melt. "What about you?"

Sam couldn't help but smile, he told her about his plans and didn't hide from her the way he used to. Now Sam was involved in every aspect of his life and she loved it, accepted it, and backed him up whenever he needed it. "I'm meeting Aidan at the office…" Hearing him growl, Sam felt the heat, he was jealous and she was loving it. Leaning over, she kissed him hard to reassure him that he was the only man for her, loving his possessiveness when he snake his hand to the back of her head and forced him into her completely. Pulling away breathless, she tried to catch her breath. "I… I think that we need to break into her place to set up some cameras while she's at work. We might be able to solve this case faster if he can find something in her home."

Not liking the danger she'll be placing herself in, he couldn't do anything but bite his tongue and accept it. This is who she was, she wouldn't change him so he shouldn't ask her to change. "Just be careful, please. Lisa sounds crazy and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Oh, I love it when you get all protective." She pulled off the covers and climbed out of bed heading to the bathroom for a shower. "Don't worry, Robin will be our lookout."

Jason watched the sway of her luscious hips as she walked away from him, but frowned when she closed the door. He contemplated on whether to join her or not, but when she opened the door just a fraction to poke her hand through and beckon him to come in, he was helpless to her. He needed a shower as well, "Oh yeah…", why not share.

********************************************************

They had been in the car together for over an hour, Robin said that Lisa's shift started at 6pm and that was an hour ago, something was up.

"She must've called in late or sick or something…" Aidan said as he chewed on a piece of strawberry Twizzler that was hanging from his mouth.

"I guess… but come on… I mean, she's a doctor for goodness sake, she's supposed to be there on time." Sam spoke from behind a huge professional looking set of binoculars that she borrowed from Aidan. Sometimes it was good to have a friend in the forces. "And why didn't Robin call back to tell us?"

Aidan shrugged. "She probably got called into surgery or something."

"I guess. What time is it?"

"You just asked me that five minutes ago, so its five minutes passed the last time…" Playing smart with his answer only got a growl from her, obviously, Aidan chuckled to himself and concluded that she hated stakeouts. "Sam, you need to sit back and relax, you're only working yourself up for nothing and… annoying the hell out of me." He mumbled that last part, hoping that she didn't hear it.

"What did you say?" She asked not hearing the last part. "Ok, OK! Fine! I'll just sit here like a good girl and…. and..." She looked around for something to do to pass the time. "Aha! Check my phone, maybe Jason called." She checked the inbox 'No Messages'. She didn't think much of it, she knew that he would be busy, he had called her right before he left town to tell her where he was going and that he would be back late tonight. She smiled remembering when he ended the call with an 'I love you'. Sighing, she grabbed one of the Twizzlers and popped it in her mouth as she placed her phone on the dashboard and turned sideways to look into Lisa's place just in time to see their mark exit her apartment home at a small brownstone not too far from the hospital and head to her car. "About time!" She exclaimed.

Seeing her happy did wonders on Aidan's emotions, he didn't want to feel anything for her but he couldn't help it, she was easy to fall for. Noticing her phone on the dashboard, he picked it up quietly and turned it off, hoping she wouldn't need to use it, then set it back in the exact same position. She hadn't heard from Jason since the afternoon in the office. He overheard her conversation, clenching his fists at her excitement to hear from him. He needed her to concentrate on this case! He needed her help to make sure his family was safe! That was all, right? What else could he be feeling?

"Come on." She grabbed her black bag from the backseat. "Let's go!" She said feeling the excitement like a little kid in a candy store.

They both walked up the steps to the small apartment home, making sure to look like they belonged there, they couldn't afford to create suspicion. Walking down the hall, they got to her door and checked around to make sure that no one was watching them. They were both decked out in all black with black leather gloves, the best gear for doing a little B & E. They were facing each other when Sam pulled out her locking picking it from her back pocket and fall down to her knees. Aidan almost groaned at the sight, Sam down on her knees in front of him, he could just imagine it and it was making him hard. He stepped back to make sure to block her from the view of the stairs or from other tenants. In half a minute, they heard a click and Sam whispered out a "Yes!" as she stood up and pumped her fist into the air. He shook his head and chuckled at her, she was in her element and there was nothing sexier.

They made sure to keep everything in place as they placed the secret cameras around her home. Each camera, courtesy from Aidan, was small as a quarter, easy to use and easy to hide, so that they could see and hear what she was planning. Sam placed one in a fake plant in the living room, one in her bedroom, and one in the kitchen. Aidan disassembled her land line phone and tapped into it, sending the signal to dial their phone whenever she received a call. Checking to make sure that everything was in place neatly, they left her apartment and headed to Sam's place for a long night. They kept the apartment cameras on one laptop and watched the hospital cameras on the other.

Hours and hours passed with nothing to alert their attention, dinner was eaten and plans were made. They settled down on the couch with beer and snacks and watched daily hospital life, occasionally seeing a secret rendezvous between doctors and nurses in supply closets, but still nothing from Lisa. It was like she was waiting for something, for the best moment to strike. It was three in the morning when Aidan suddenly woke up and looked around in a panic, when his eyes adjusted, he realized that he was still in Sam's apartment and she was lying on the couch next to him. They must have fallen asleep. He should wake her up, he should leave but watching her beautiful face, he was undone. Seeing her phone on the side table, he picked it and turned it on '5 Missed Calls', 4 from Jason and 1 from her mother. He should feel guilty, he should be ashamed of himself, but when she felt this good against him, he couldn't help but go back to sleep and not give a damn.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Aidan stirred the next morning, groaning at a constant clicking sound, he couldn't place it for the life of him, didn't know what it could be, he took a moment to breathe in and become aware of his surroundings without actually opening his eyes. Samantha. He could smell her, then it hit him, they both fell asleep on the couch, together, he could smell her essence on the couch. Smiling he kept his eyes closed and rolled over on to his side and felt… something, the couch was dipped, someone was sitting next to him and he knew that it had to be her. Reaching out, hoping to feel some part of her creamy soft skin (after all he can just excuse it to being asleep) and reached for her, he felt skin, warm and….. hairy?

"Dude, what the hell!"

Aidan slammed his eyes open at the voice to find…. Spinelli…. "Ahhhh…. What the hell are you doing here? And where are your pants?" Aidan questioned as he jumped back against the arm rest of the couch with his knees drawn tightly to his chest, furthest away from Spinelli as possible.

Looking down at his bare legs, Spinelli shrugged. "The Jackal was most clumsy this morning and spilt orange soda, the Jackal's drink of choice, all over himself, and now they are being dried. But thankfully none was on Fair Samantha's carpet."

"Sorry…" Aidan felt the need to apologize for copping a feel of the young kid. "I thought you were…" He stopped himself from continuing with that thought.

"You thought I was who? Fair Samantha perhaps?" Spinelli tilted his head and eyed the other PI, he knew that his master had his suspicions about the guy but Spinelli just shrugged it off as possessiveness that some other man was taking up his Fair Samantha's time, but maybe Stone Cold was right.

Shit! "Uh… No… no, for a second there I forget where I was." He watched hoping the kid would accept his slip up, only when Spinelli nodded and resumed his typing did Aidan finally released a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was for the computer geek to go and tell his boss.  
"Um… where is Samantha?" He sat up looking around, straightened out his disheveled clothes and then looked over the boy's shoulder to see what he was doing. "And what are you doing here so early anyways?"

"Early? Dude its past 10!" He said all without turning away from his screen and missed the surprised look on Aidan's face.

"10?" Aidan was surprised, he was usually an early riser, never had he slept passed 8am, it was something that was engraved in him from his days in the force. Maybe he was just so tired, maybe he was just comfortable being here, or maybe it was just her. He could admit to himself finally that something was happening, he just wasn't sure what it was.

"The Fair Samantha called the Jackal over early in dire need of a massive hard drive make over, dude the mother board was almost fried with all the knowledge and surveillance from the Psycho Doctor's dwelling, the processor gigs and RAM increases need to be done for optimum usage…"

"What?" Aidan knew all about computers, sure he wasn't able to hack into, let's say the Pentagon, but he knew a thing or two, but what he didn't understand, was the geek's language.

Switching out of Jackal mode, Spinelli tried to turn the computer talk down a notch. "The camera's that were installed yesterday, froze the laptop, so I'm updating the processor and the memory."

"Ok." Aidan nodded then stood up. "I'm going to the office…" He closed his own laptop and stored it away in his shoulder bag, looking back up to the kid, he studied him for a moment. Aidan could admit that the hacker was good, really good, the best for the job in order to catch Lisa. "Come on, get your pants on, your coming with me." Grabbing their things Aidan walked out with Spinelli right behind him, he couldn't feel a little disappointed that Samantha woke up and left without telling him.

* * *

"Hmmm…" Sam said as she snuggled up against Jason with his arm around her on the couch in the penthouse. "We're all alone and it's soooo quiet."

"I know." Jason agreed as he kissed her forehead and buried his face in her hair, deeply inhaling her scent, vanilla and flowers, all Sam. If he could freeze time, he would do it gladly to be here with her for the rest of time, alone, together, happy. "Thank you for coming over early and bringing me coffee."

Sam lifted her face up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, she had missed him so much that she wasn't able to sleep last night. She woke up at four in the morning with her head on Aidan's shoulder, confused as to how both of them fell asleep on her couch. She had gently pulled away from Aidan, not wanting to wake him up, and grabbed her phone off the coffee table. 5 Missed Calls. What the Hell? She was shocked, how did she miss five calls, four of them being from Jason. He must have been so worried. Making sure her ringer was on, not sure how it was turned off in the first place, she went into her room and fell asleep on her own bed. She woke up again at 7am, took a shower, got dressed and grabbed some coffee on her way to Jason's. She called Spinelli to come over early to fix the glich on the computer. Now, here she was, her favorite spot, cuddled up against the man she loved. "I'm sorry about not picking up the phone last night, or calling you back…" She started to explain as she adjusted herself on the couch so that she was facing him, but they still held hands, always needed to touch, that connection. "I have no idea what happened, I mean, I remember checking my phone around 7pm while we were on the stakeout but there weren't any missed calls or messages, so I put it down, I must have turned off the ringer cuz it hadn't rung for the rest of the night. And I was going to call you but I guess I just got sidetracked. I'm really sorry."

Seeing the pout, Jason couldn't help but lean over and kiss her fully, taking in her lower lip and stroking it gently with his own. God, he couldn't get enough of her. "It's ok, I didn't get back until late last night." Seeing the question in her eyes, he chose to answer right away as he shook his head. "Dead end." He said referring to their lead. "I went to the hotel where the guy was registered at but he checked out before I got there. Spinelli had called me with some more information but they were all dead ends."

"Ok, so whoever it was, was able to access the Balkan's son safety deposit box. But wouldn't the bank have something saying that the box belonged to a dead man, shouldn't they have that information."

"Not if Alexander's body wasn't claimed. They don't know where it is, there was no funeral for it, nothing to indicate that he was actually dead."

"I don't understand this Jason. Why would the Balkan go after Brenda if they didn't think that she killed him."

"That's just it, I think that she did kill him, but someone was there to help her ditch the body."

"Who?"

"I don't know. But I've been trying to get her to finally open up to me and trust me to tell the truth. Something more is going on that I don't know about." He looked down at the woman he loved and trusted and pulled her closer to him. "Enough about Brenda. Tell me what happened yesterday. How did your stakeout go?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear about her being cooped up in a car with that prick, but he did want to know what happened.

Sam giggled thinking about it. "It was boring, you know I hate stakeouts, and I think I really annoyed Aidan…" She giggled again when she saw Jason smile knowing that he didn't like Aidan. "But… as soon as Lisa left, we broke into her apartment, it took me thirty seconds…"

"Thirty seconds?"

"Yeah, I know, I'm slipping, maybe I should practice more often. Anyways, we set up all the cameras around her place then went back to mine to watch what was happening at the hospital. Oh! Just a warning, do NOT go into the 4th floor supply closet, you don't want to know what kind of bodily fluids are coating the walls in there."

"Ew, Sam!"

"Sorry…" She giggled again at his disgust. She guessed he forgot about all the times they had done it while they were actual patients in the hospital. As if reading her thoughts, she laughed at Jason's words. "The times in the beds don't count, those sheets were washed afterwards." She smiled as she felt him pull her face up for another kiss. "Hmmm…" She hummed in contentment.

"What time did he leave?"

Oh crap! That was the problem, she pulled back and wrung her hands. "Well, um… don't get mad…"

"Oh Sam, that never sounds good…"

"Look its fine, no big deal even, it's just that we were really busy that day and we were exhausted and watching all that boring stuff all night long…. We uh… we fell asleep… kind of like you do when we watch Gone with the Wind…" Seeing his face contort, she continued hastily. "On the couch, on the opposite sides, I swear it wasn't a big deal, I woke up at 4 in the morning and went into my own room and I left this morning early and didn't tell him, I just wanted to hurry up and get to you, I swear Jason it was nothing, innocent really…. Are you mad?" She bit her lip and waited for him to blow.

Jason couldn't help but smile, she didn't have to tell him anything, she could've lied, but instead she told the truth no matter how he might take it. And he loved her all the more for it. He KNEW that he had nothing to worry about, he was that confident in what they had, in their love for each other. But that didn't mean that the bastard got to spend the night there. "I'm not mad Sam." He leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you… for telling me." He kissed her again. "I'm not happy that he stayed there, but I'm glad that you told me." Another kiss, then another, and when he couldn't take all these sweet kisses, he snaked his hand behind her head and pulled her more forcefully against him, kissing her long and hard. He stroked his tongue against her mouth, demanding for her to open for him, when she did, their tongues stroked and danced together, tasting her, devouring her, making everything much hotter and more demanding. He ran his hand up the inside of her shirt, excitement filled him to feel the weight of her lush breasts against his hand, pulling the offending material higher…

"Jason!" Brenda stormed into the penthouse with Carly right behind her. A bucket of ice cold water was splashed on top of them, both pulled away groaning at the loss and pissed off at the interruption. "Will you please tell Carly to leave me alone. She has been nothing but a pain in my side since I got here…"

"Pfft, pain, that's nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you, you anorexic Botox addicted bitch! I'll show you pain!" Jason jumped up from the couch and grabbed Carly before she lunged at Brenda, all while Sam was sitting down eagerly waiting for the catfight to begin. She just wished she had a bowl of popcorn with lots of butter.

"STOP! ENOUGH!" He shouted as he pulled her away. "Now tell me what you guys are arguing about so you can leave me alone and I can get back to Sam." He didn't have to look at her to know that she was smiling, he could feel her warmth and her strength refueling his own.

"Jax is turning the entire penthouse suite at the Metro Court into a home, for her!" She yelled out and pointed an accusing finger at Brenda.

"And for the hundredth time, I DON'T WANT IT! How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not leaving here, Jason is protecting me…."

"Carly, she's right, and as soon as I find the Balkan, she'll go back to Rome."

"On the first flight!" Brenda shouted out.

Sam was on cloud nine, she was so happy that Jason thought of her, so happy that he made his feelings known, so happy that she was over the top cheerful in her greeting when her cell phone rang. "Hello!" She smiled brightly. "Aidan! Hey…" She put her hand over her other ear to drown out the fight that was still going on in order to hear him better on the phone. He was telling her that Lisa was called into work and she was heading up to the hospital right now. "Robin's working too, right? Ok, meet me at the office." She hung up and stood, making her way passed the trio, not wanting to get tangled up in their mess. She stopped when she heard her name.

"Sam!" Jason called as he saw her making her way towards the door. His heart clenched, hoping that she wasn't hurt in some way. He passed the two woman (using the term loosely) and made his way to her, picking up her hand in his. Seeing the smile on her face was enough from him to breathe a sigh in relief. "I'm really sorry, you don't have to go, just give me a minute and I'll clear this up so that we could be together, or how about…"

She reached up and silenced him with a kiss, effectively cutting off his rambling. "It's ok, actually I have to get to the office. Lisa was called into work while Robin is there and I need to watch the cameras. Maybe we'll catch her doing something stupid."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

She smiled as his question, loving that he was trying to reassure her that she was his first priority. She would love it if he joined her, but she knew he couldn't. He needed to help solve the BitchFest 2010 that was currently playing in his penthouse and then he needed to concentrate on finding the Balkan. "No, thank you though…" She kissed him again for his thoughtfulness then pulled back. "How about… Since neither of us are going to the fundraiser party tomorrow, we could spend the night together, alone."

"Sounds perfect." He nodded in agreement. "I'll send Brenda over to Sonny's, and we can have the place to ourselves."

"Doesn't she have to be there? Isn't it her party?"

"No, she's not going, it's too dangerous. So, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yup, have fun." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Love you, and call me if you need anything."

"I will and I love you too." With a huge grin on her face, she left to go to her office, hoping on catching a psycho.

* * *

They had spent a couple of hours, each in their comfortable chairs, twirling and watching the monitors, Chinese takeout boxes lined the desk. Spinelli had left as soon as Sam got there, telling her about her NASA geared up laptop. She didn't really care, as long as it did what she wanted.

Sam was in mid twirl when she suddenly stopped and planted her feet on the floor. "Aidan, look!" She pointed to the screen showing Lisa dropping sheets into the laundry chute with a pair of gloves on.

"What the hell?" Aidan abruptly wheeled his chair closer to the desk. "What is she doing?"

"Unless she changed professions that we didn't know about, to me it looks like she's getting rid of something." She looks over at Aidan, knowing what steps they were about to take.

"I think we need to go to the hospital."

"And find Robin." She agreed. They both grabbed their jackets and left for the hospital.

Fifteen minutes later, both Aidan and Sam were walking up to the nurse's desk on the 6th floor, where they found Robin updating a patient's chart. She looked up and smiled, she was thankful that she had them watching out for her. "Hey guys…" Her smile fell at seeing their tight grim faces. "What's wrong?" She immediately went on high alert, her daughter was the first thing that went through her mind.

"Can you take a quick break right now?" Aidan asked but saw the worry set into her eyes. "It's nothing serious, we just need you to take us down to the laundry."

She sighed, grateful that nothing was seriously wrong, but now she was confused. "Sure. Why?" She asked as she handed the chart off to one of the nurses and walked around the station heading towards the elevators.

"We'll explain on the way." Just as the elevator doors closed to take them down to the basement, Sam looked up at the doctor. "We saw something that didn't look right. On camera, we saw Lisa dropping some sheets in the laundry chute."

"And we want you to get us in there to check it out." Aidan finished for her.

A few minutes later, they were elbow deep in dirty sheets. The laundry room was huge, four large bins were placed under each chute that piped to the basement from around the hospital. Each person put on hospital gloves and took a bin, stuffing their hands inside, looking for something that would lead them back to Lisa.

"In coming!" Aidan called out and stepped out of the way just in time for a load to fall into his bin, adding to his pile.

"We're not in the forces, and these aren't bombs." Robin managed out a smile in their current situation, grateful for her cousin being here for her.

"Sorry, can't help it, it's in my blood."

Sam smiled at their exchange, happy that at least they found their situation laughable, but when her fingers skimmed something plastic and hard, she had a feeling that this situation just turned into anything but. Wrapping her hands around what felt like a bottle, she pulled it out. "I found something!" She called out to get their attention and held up… a prescription pill container with Robin's name on it. "It's got your name on it."

Looking at it, Robin was in total disbelief and a little sick. "These are my HIV meds." She quietly whispered as she took them from Sam. "They were in my locker… How….?"

"Did you take your meds this morning? Do you remember putting them in there?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I have to take them every morning, I always have them with me, in my purse, in my locker…"

"I bet that if you check your locker right now, those…" Aidan said pointing to the pills in her hands. "Will be missing or you'll find some type of fakes. This is so fucked up!" He tore his gloves off and ran his hands through his hair, completely frustrated with the situation.

"She's messing with my health now, not just my marriage. If I don't take these everyday…. " She didn't want to think about what would happen, she could get sick and she could die. She looked up when something dawned on her. "But that's it, right? It's over, we caught her…"

Sam felt awful and downright pissed. This bitch had gone too far this time, how could another human being possibly do this, to leave a poor baby girl, Emma, without a mother? She would be happy to take Lisa down, but she was sad to say that she couldn't, not yet, not for this. "I'm sorry Robin… this won't be enough to convict her."

"What do you mean? You caught her on camera… you saw her…"

Aidan spoke up. "We saw her throw some laundry down a chute, that's all."

"And I'm sure that if you dusted that bottle and your locker for fingerprints, you aren't going to find any. She was wearing gloves, she's smart Robin and if you try to convict her, she could just say that she was helping out the other staff. You'll only succeed in making her look like a helpful doctor, while you look like a vindictive one. I'm sorry."

"But there has to be something we could do, I can't just ignore this." Robin whispered brokenly as the tears fell from her eyes. At seeing her crying, Aidan walked up and engulfed her in his arms.

"I promise you, nothing will happen to you, or your family." He whispered to her, kissing the top of her head. He looked up at Samantha, she was a strong woman but he could see that this affected her as well. He would like nothing more than to take her in his arms, but he couldn't do that to his cousin. She needed his comfort right now.

"Look…" Sam took a deep breath and began, hoping to ease her mind. "We're watching her, ok?, she's not going to get away with any of this. We caught her this time, and now she's going to get desperate seeing that her plan didn't work. What you need to do is just ignore her, tell Patrick what happened and tell him to watch out for her and ignore her as well. Just love each other, in public as much as possible, hold hands, hug, kiss, everything that married couples do. Sneak off in supply closets if you have to, just not the 4th floor, it's pretty nasty…" She smiled, happy that she was able to make Robin laugh. "We'll catch her, and when she's gone, you'll have your family again. Ok?" Sam was glad to see her nod her head and accept her situation, no matter how shitty it was.

"Thank you, both of you, thank you for helping me." Robin said as she picked up both their hands and squeezed thankful for having them in her life. Wiping the tears from her face, she squared her shoulders and walked out, heading back to her life, her husband and her daughter.

"I'm going to kill that BITCH!" Sam jumped at hearing Aidan scream as he repeatedly kicked the laundry bin. She wasn't surprised though, his family was in danger, and she would've done the same. Needing to control him, she grabbed a hold of his hands. "Aidan! Aidan, stop! You need to stop! This isn't helping anybody…" Seeing him calm down, she whispered to him, hoping to get through his blinding rage. "Listen, you need to control yourself, I know you're pissed and scared, but we need to focus. Together, we'll take that bitch down." She was glad that she got through to him, but what happened next was not expected. He hugged her.

"Thank you Samantha, thank you…" With his arms wrapped around her waist, Aidan lowered himself and placed his head on her leather covered shoulders. This is what he had imagined for them when he woke up this morning on her couch, him and Samantha, together, and now he finally got his wish. Now, he just had to figure out how to keep her there.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Jason ran down the stairs at the constant knocking wondering to himself since when his place had become Grand Central Station. It seemed like everyone in Port Charles had come to him lately with their problems, and most of them revolved around Brenda. He was a friend trying to protect her, not her babysitter, or more recently with her drama with Sonny, her relationship counselor. Opening the door, Jason was immediately tempted to slam it in the woman's face. "Suzanne." He practically growled out, annoyed with just merely her presence in his life.

"Jason. Is Brenda here?" She asked walking into the place as if she owned it holding what looked like a garment bag. "I'm here to drop this dress off to Brenda for the fundraiser tonight."

He could already feel the headache coming on. "I already told Brenda that we're not going to the party." Seeing her about to argue, Jason continued on louder to make sure that she heard him clearly. "It's too dangerous for her to go, the Balkan already tried to get her the last time she was in public and if I hadn't shown up, he would've succeeded. She stays here."

"NO!" Jason groaned out and turned to see the bane of his existence storm down the stairs heading straight for him. "Jason! It's a fundraiser and I need to be there, I'm supposed to be there, people are counting on me."

"You're not going!" He walked away, heading towards the kitchen, hoping to get away from her and try to regain some of his control that was slipping. He was tempted to slap the shit out of her but he needed to calm down. Where was Sam when he needed her? She always managed to calm him down with just a look, a touch, hell, just her presence did the trick. Just thinking about her made him feel better. Until….. Brenda grabbed his arm and jumped in front of him. "Jason! This fundraiser is to help exploited children, and they need to see me there, there will be so much press. If I'm not there… then it won't bring in the money that we are hoping for."

When he pulled his arm free from her grasp, she noticed his resolve weakening, following him around the couch she continued head strong. "Jason, I swear to you, I wouldn't go otherwise, but I need to be there, just think about how much money we won't raise if I'm not there."

This time Suzanne spoke up. "The press specifically asked for her, if she doesn't show up, then they will all pull out along with Cartulo and their many rich associates taking their pocket books with them. Just think of the children that we won't be saving. Do you really want that on your head?"

 **********************************************************

Lucky walked along the docks preparing to become his alter ego, Ronan O'Rielly while waiting for one of Balkan's men to arrive. Since he joined Interpol, he has been thrown into one mess after another, going to Ireland to take Ronan's place, attacked by a man who wanted to kill him, meeting Siobhan who he wasn't sure if he trusted yet, and having being in constant contact with Balkan's men. He thought this mission was simple, not easy, just simple: infiltrate the Balkan's organization and bring him down. What he hadn't counted on: the Balkan was stuck on getting Brenda Barrett. That was something Lucky couldn't do. Not only was she under Jason's protection, but as a cop, how was he supposed to put Brenda into that kind of danger. He needed to find another way and he knew just the man to help him. If him and Jason can work together on this, they would be able to get to the Balkan and bring him in.

Hearing someone walk down the stairs, Lucky turned to see the man he was supposed to meet, Kale, the Balkan's favorite guard. "What took you so long?" Lucky spoke with the Irish accent.

"Never mind that. Did you find a way to get passed Morgan?" Kale's Russian tone hard and cold.

"No, it's not that easy. What does the Balkan want from the girl anyways?" Lucky was hoping to find out, the only thing he had been told was to kidnap Brenda, but not the reason why.

"That's non of our concern. There's an event at the Metro Court tonight, she should be there. I need you to create a distraction and get Morgan out of the way so that I can get to her."

Not liking this plan, but figured it was a way to talk to Jason to warn him, Lucky asked on. "How will I know when?"

"I'll be dressed as a waiter. Just make sure that Morgan is nowhere near her and when you distract him, I'll grab her and go out the kitchen entrance. Got it? The Balkan is getting impatient and it's never good to keep the man waiting." Kale finished and walked back the way he came.

Lucky stood for a moment to think of what to do next, it would be too late to wait to talk to Jason tonight, he would have to go over there now so that they could make a plan.

 ****************************************************************

Sam finally had been able to make it to Jason's a little after one in the afternoon. She was stuck in the office making sure that her and Aidan kept an eye on Lisa. She felt a pang in her heart for her friends. Robin was being stalked by Patrick's ex girlfriend who wanted to destroy her life and most likely kill her, and Aidan, whom she now considered a friend, was beside himself trying to protect his cousin. She felt bad leaving him at the office, but she couldn't wait to get to Jason so that they could make their plans for that evening. Everyone in Port Charles would be at the fundraiser, Spinelli would be with Maxie, Brenda with Sonny at his own place along with a billion guards, but her and Jason would be staying the night, alone, together…. Finally alone.

Unlocking the door with the key that Jason had given her, she walked in and smiled brightly at seeing Jason sitting on the couch. He immediately got up to greet her as she threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, I missed you so much…"

"I missed you too, but Sam…" He tried to talk but she silenced him a kiss. A deep tongue thrusting kiss that made him loose all train of thought, not being able to focus on anything but her mouth on his.

Pulling back, Sam didn't give him a chance to talk. "I can't wait for tonight, it'll just be me and you here alone. I thought that maybe we can go for a bike ride, I know it's a little chilly out but that's ok cuz we can just keep each other warm. And then we can come back and hang out, order some food and watch old black and white movies…"

"Sam…" He finally got his focus back when he was freed from her soul searing kiss.

"I know, I know you hate those movies, so ok we don't have to watch them, we can just hang out and be together and talk, or make love…." Sam was cut off by Brenda coming down the stairs.

"Jason! The tailor should be in here in ten minutes to get your tuxedo fitted right for the party tonight... Oh, sorry, didn't know you had company." Brenda looked up to find Sam standing there frozen, not really looking at her and not really looking at Jason, just staring off to the side. Brenda just hoped that she was alright.

Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing, couldn't comprehend the words. Since when the FUCK did Jason go to parties? She could tell by the silence and worry that was coming off in waves from Jason, the tension and anger rolled off her so much that she was practically choking in it. He was going to the party when just yesterday he had told her that they would be spending the night together. Now he was going to the party with Brenda. That didn't really make her mad, Sam was secure in her relationship and she knew how Jason felt about her and what he felt about Brenda. She also knew that Brenda was in love with Sonny and he returned those feelings. But what hurt the most, almost like a knife to the heart was that he didn't tell her. Backing away from him without really looking at his face, she pushed his arms away as they tried to reach for her, Sam kept her rage in check and her voice distant and emotionless as she spoke without lifting her head up. "You're going to the party with Brenda." It wasn't a question, it was a fact. When she heard him call her name, "Sam…" and reach out for her again, she immediately jerked out of reach. "Don't bother!" She sneered at him as she kept backing away. She won't run away like a coward, not anymore.

"Sam… wait!"

Sam ignored his calls as she made it to the door. Before she walked out, she heard Brenda's voice. "Listen Sam, Jason wasn't going, I made him go, it's for the children…. That's all, I swear."

Sam wasn't mad at her, wasn't threatened or intimated by her, Brenda was insignificant in this issue. As soon as Jason realized he was going to the party, he should've called her, he should've told her, he should've invited her along. But he chose to remain silent, chose not to make an issue about it. Did he really think that she would've fought with him over it? "Don't…" She didn't want to hear any more excuses, certainly not from Jason's ex wife. "I really hope everything works out for the party tonight." With that, she ignored Jason's calls as she heard him walk towards the door. Choosing to forgo taking the elevator and waiting for it while Jason was there with his many excuses, she ran down the stairs hoping that he wouldn't come after her. He wouldn't, Sam knew he wouldn't, he couldn't leave Brenda unprotected.

How could he not tell her? Did he really think that she was that insecure that she couldn't handle it? Maybe it wasn't that complicated, it never was with Jason. Maybe it was just plain and simple… stupidity. He wouldn't lie to her, not anymore, Brenda probably forced him to go knowing that Jason wouldn't let down the children that would benefit from tonight's earnings. She probably dropped it on him the last minute and he needed time to prepare the guards and the security. Choosing to accept that excuse instead of the one that said that she was so insignificant in his life that he forgot about her, Sam had only one goal in mind: She was going to the fundraiser and she needed a date, fast.

 ***************************************************

How could he forget to tell her? Jason slapped his forehead as he paced up in his bedroom, back and forth, back and forth, he walked so much that he made a pathway in the carpet. He was honestly so preoccupied about getting security in place that he hadn't thought about calling her. Why? Would it have taken so long to make a quick 5 second phone call? He knew she would've understood, he knew that she wouldn't have care, she probably would've come along with them. Instead, he had hurt her, oh God, she probably thought that he didn't want her to go, when the truth was, HE didn't want to go. Picking up the phone, Jason knew that he was going to get her voice mail but decided to call her anyways, he would just leave her a message.

When her sweet voice recording came through the phone, Jason sank down on his bed and apologized. "Sam, baby, I'm so sorry, I swear to you I just found out like an hour ago that I was going. I was so looking forward to being alone with you, I didn't want to go, but she gave me the children sob story and… It doesn't matter. All that matters is you. I love you Sam, and I was going to tell you, I was going to call you, I swear baby, I just got so caught up in making sure the security measures were set up and the guards in place. Please Sam, I…. I would still love it if you can go, if you don't want to go with me than it's fine, I'll meet you there, as long as I get to see your beautiful face. I love you, please call me." He hung up, hoping that it was good enough.

 ********************************************************

Sam had a habit of forgetting where she placed her phone, she was about to pick it up and call the office but as she searched her pockets for it, she realized that she must have misplaced it. Where the hell did I put it? Figuring she probably left it at the office, she would just go to pick it up, she was on her way over there anyways.

 *******************************************************

Looking down at the voicemail alert that popped up on Sam's phone, Aidan just stared at it, not knowing what to do. He peaked over at Spinelli to make sure that he wasn't watching, satisfied that he had his privacy, Aidan touched the touch screen and it illuminated. On the front it said "Missed Call: Jason" and with a voicemail attached to it. He wanted to delete it, wanting to erase Jason's call and voice from her phone, but he was blocked, her phone needed a pass code. Silencing it was easy, but he couldn't get access to her calls or messages. What is her password? He had no idea, not even the tiniest clue what it could be. But before he could think about it further, the door to the office burst open, revealing the gorgeous woman that had consumed him. She was looking right at him, fire sparking from her dark brown eyes, but she held her place by the door with it wide open.

"Do you have a date to the fundraiser tonight?" Was all she asked him.

He was so caught off guard, half shocked by the question and half afraid that she caught him messing with her phone to try to delete her call from Morgan, that he just looked at her dumbstruck. Why was she asking HIM about going to a party? Opening his mouth, he couldn't make his voice work, so he shook his head no.

"Good! You'll be my date to the party." With that she left and closed the door.

He was still shocked at what happened and also baffled, again the same question that echoed in his mind: why would she be asking him? Shouldn't she be with Morgan? Before he could contemplate the answer, the door burst open again and Samantha came barreling towards him. Leaning over so that he could see a hint of cleavage down her shirt, she reached over and grabbed her phone that was right in front of him. "Pick me up at 7!" She said as she whirled out again. Waiting a second to see if she was going to come back in, Aidan stared at the door. When he realized that she wasn't coming back, he looked over at Spinelli with a huge grin on his face.

"Did the Goddess just ask Aidan PI on a date?" Spinelli said looking up at him with wide eyes.

Clearing his throat, Aidan finally found his voice. "It appears so." Grabbing his things, he ran out the door anxious to get ready for tonight.

"What about Stone Cold?" Spinelli asked himself just as the phone rang. It was Stone Cold. What was he supposed to say? Deciding to keep his mouth shut, he picked up and prayed. Oh for the love of cybergod…

 **************************************************************

Stepping off the elevator and running towards the office of Crimson, Sam saw Maxie sitting behind her desk on a phone call. Sam impatiently waved her hands in the young girls face to hurry the phone call up, she tapped her foot for good measure. She was in dire need of a dress and she needed the perfect dress. Jason was taking Brenda, she was taking Aidan. She knew that she missed a call from him and probably a voice message but she wasn't ready to listen to it, she was tempted to hit delete but decided to give him the chance to explain himself, but he had to do it in person. She hadn't planned on going, she knew that Aidan was going to go to make sure that Lisa didn't try anything while Robin and Patrick were there. So actually it worked out for the best, Brenda would raise money for the children, Jason would protect her, and her and Aidan would protect Robin and look out for Lisa. She just hoped that Jason wouldn't be too mad, she was hoping that he would be so jealous that he would grab her, throw her over his shoulder, take her back home and punish her for hours, with a spanking. As soon as Maxie hung up, Sam bombarded her. "I need a dress for the fundraiser tonight, a sexy one, a really really sexy one."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Will you please stop playing with your tie?" Brenda reached up and swatted Jason's hand for the second time. "You're just making it all crooked." She went to fix it but jerked her hands back when it looked like he was going to bite them off.

"I hate parties." He gritted out through clenched teeth. He really didn't want to be here, especially not without Sam. God, he couldn't get her hurt look out of his mind, it had been haunting him all day. She had been ignoring his calls, not once picking up just so that he could hear her sweet voice even if it was to yell at him. He missed her.

"Would you quit saying that. Honestly Jason, it wouldn't hurt you to go out once in a while, I don't how Sam can stand to be with you, I mean, you never take her out anywhere, you're always stuck at the penthouse, you should go out more, mingle, you know socialize." She looked up at him to see any kind of acknowledgment. All he did was stare coldly at her and…. growl? "Look, don't be mad at me ok, it's not my fault that you didn't tell Sam…." When his look hardened, she just continued on. "Even if she didn't answer your phone calls, you should've went out to look for her, you know, buy her flowers, apologize, asked her in person to come with you, and maybe it's not too late, maybe she'll come…." Brenda was looking through the crowd and waving her hands when she spoke, when someone exiting the elevator caught her attention. "Oh look, she's here…." She happily pointed over to the elevators and was excited to see Jason whip his head up so fast to look in that direction. As soon as he did, he growled, loudly, so animal-like it was scary. Coming off the elevator from behind Sam was another man. "And she brought a….. date?" Seeing the murderous glare in his eyes and his teeth bared, almost as if he had fangs, Brenda tried to control the situation. "No, not a date, I'm sure he's just a friend, hey wait a minute, isn't that Robin's cousin, Aidan, oh wow, he's hot." Seeing Jason turn those murdering eyes on her, Brenda grew more nervous and a little scared. "No, no, not hot, your hot, I mean Sam thinks you're hot and she loves you, I'm sure whatever their doing doesn't mean anything, NOT that there are doing anything….." Realizing she wasn't helping, instead just digging her grave, Brenda gave up and threw her hands up in the air. "Forget it! I'm going by Sonny!" With that she almost ran away.

Sam tried hard not to look at him, she could see (no scratch that), she could FEEL his eyes all over her. When she asked Maxie for a really sexy dress, she wasn't quite expecting this, but then again, that's Maxie for you. Sam knew that Jason wouldn't like her wearing something so revealing in public, but she was sure that her dress wasn't the cause of the smoke coming out of Jason's ears, it was the man that was standing a little bit too close next to her.

Aidan leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I don't think Morgan's too happy to see us together." He couldn't help but smirk at the idea, he had Samantha on his arm, and he couldn't be happier, they were here together.

"Don't look at him, and don't smirk." Sam warned him as she grabbed a flute of champagne from the nearest waiter, downed it, then placed the empty glass back on the tray, not missing the double take he did, and he stared, hard.

"I can't help it." Aidan placed his hand on the small of her bare back. "I have the most beautiful woman on my arm and I can't wait to show her off." He lightly nudged her forward, ready to flaunt her and rub it into Morgan's face.

Sam couldn't ignore it anymore, looking up at Jason, she could tell that he was pissed, mad as hell, maybe a little hurt even. She lightly shrugged Aidan's hand off of her back and walked up to Jason. "I'm going to talk to him." When she saw that Aidan was following, grinning the entire way, she shooed him off. "Alone." Satisfied that she ditched him, she nervously stepped up to the enforcer. Standing right in front of him, she could hear how hard he was breathing, it was scary really, and HOT. She could tell that he was two seconds away from ripping Aidan's head off and laying into her. Ok, so maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "Are you mad?" She looked up at him sheepishly, avoiding looking directly into his eyes.

"FURIOUS." He gritted out. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. She had come to the party with that prick by her side wearing what looked like a piece of scrap material for a dress. What the hell was she thinking? But who was he to blame her, he didn't tell her about coming to the party and obviously this was a last minute spontaneous decision on her part, right or wrong, he understood her anger.

Sighing, almost defeated, Sam knew that she made the wrong chose, childish really. She wanted to make Jason jealous so that he would appreciate her, and even though she got exactly what she wanted, she knew it was a bit too much. He did appreciate her, sometimes he would make mistakes, but he was just human after all. "Can we talk?"

"Outside on the balcony, now!" Waiting for her to step ahead of him, he reached up and made sure that shawl she was wearing was wrapped tighter around her. It was cold outside, and the other real reason was so that her bare back was covered, she was showing way too much skin for his liking. Don't get him wrong, he LOVED it, and so did his cock that was standing at attention and straining painfully behind his zipper, he just didn't want other men seeing her, including the bastard she came here with. Making sure the doors were closed, Jason turned to see her standing by the railing looking out into the city. It didn't escape him where they were, he just chose to ignore it. He had almost lost her here all those years ago when she was shot by Manny in his arms, and Jason needed to remember that whatever happened between them that he loved her, more than he had ever loved anyone in his entire life, and no stupid stunts that she pulled were going to take that away.

"Ok, so clearly this wasn't one of my best decisions." She started off as she turned to him when he came up behind her. She looked up at him with sad eyes and a small tremble in her lips. "But you really hurt me Jason."

It hurt to him to see how she was hurt, he could really be an asshole sometimes. "Did you get my message?"

Sam nodded. "I did, but I didn't listen to it. I was just so upset, not that you brought Brenda, but because of the fact that you didn't tell me."

"I know, and I'm sorry, I swear baby that it just slipped my mind. I was so looking forward to being alone with you. When she told me about this party, I didn't want to go, but then she told what it was for and why she had to be here…"

"I know, it's for the children, and it's a good cause Jason."

"You're right, it is for a good cause. I was so caught up with making sure the security measures were in place and that the guards were available that I completely lost track of time. I swear it Sam, I was going to call you, I just didn't know how late it was." He leaned down and kissed her sweet lips, taking her hands in his, he raised them to his mouth and kissed the back of each hand. "You know that I would love nothing more than you on my arm, especially looking like that." He reached up and caressed the side of her soft cheek. "My God you're beautiful." Leaning down again, he kissed her, harder this time. One hand snaked to the back of her neck as the other circled to her bare lower back, he pressed her against him, flush to his massive build, their mouths moving together, their tongues stroking, his erection pressed up against her. He could hear her moans, and all that accomplished was making him more wild and in need for her.

Pulling back at remembering where they were, Jason grabbed an end to her shawl and gently pulled it from around her shoulders. Walking to the balcony doors, he tied the shawl around both ends of the door handles, locking them in place, to make sure that no one would interrupt them. He turned back to see the astonished but hungry look in her eyes. "Jason." He heard her husky whisper and it turned him on even more. Stalking to her, ready to take her, ready to devour her, he stood and towered before her, taking control. "Turn around." He ordered and smirked at the look of lust that flashed in her whiskey eyes.

Without a second thought, Sam turned to look out over the balcony, she could feel him coming up against her, could feel his erection pressed against her ass, his hands on her body, but what made her moan out in ecstasy was when Jason bent down and licked her bare back from the bottom to the top of her bare shoulder. She arched her body, forcing her breasts out as her breathing grew intense, she felt both his hands snake up against her body, over her breasts, and down her arms, grabbing each hand he jerked her forward and placed her hands up on the hand rail.

"Keep them here." He ordered, whispering against her ear, then licking it. Flames broke out across her skin, her body was heating up with desire, wanting him, needing him to bring her to release. "Jason, please…" She begged him breathlessly.

Loving the sound of her breathlessness and her begging, Jason was more than ready to make it happen. He didn't want to draw this out, he wasn't able to, he was so hard for her that if she moved her ass up against his erection one more time, he was about to come in his pants like an inexperienced teenager. Bending down, he grabbed the hem of her dressed by her ankles and pulled up, lifting the dress as his fingers and calloused hands danced across the bare skin of her soft legs. He almost came when he felt her gun holster strapped to her creamy thighs. "This is the sexiest thing that I have ever seen." He forced out as he tried to control himself. The image of her in that blue dress, bending over the railing, a gun strapped to her thighs, ready for him to claim her, was intoxicating.

He needed her and he wasn't about to lose another second. With one hand holding her dress up, he used his free one to undo his belt, yank the button off, unzip his pants and pull his painful cock out. Stroking it, he pressed it up against the crease of her ass, groaning at the way her ass moved against it. Not being able to hold back any longer, he moved her lacy thong aside and forced himself into her with one hard thrust. She screamed just as he moaned loudly at the feel of her tight wet hot core sheathing him. He wasn't going to last long and by the sound of her breathing, she wasn't either. He pulled out and pumped hard into her, harder and harder, faster and faster, he thrust himself into her taking her almost all the way over the railing. She was moaning his name over and over again and just as he was about to come, she clenched all around him and screamed out as she coated his cock with her juices, so hot and wet, he couldn't hold back anymore, and with a guttural yell of her name, he came, exploding all of himself into her.

Taking a minute to catch his breath, Jason pulled out and zipped himself back up just as she was straightening out her dress. "That was….." She started.

"Unbelievable…" He finished for her, taking time to regulate his breathing. "But that was only the beginning." He snaked his arm around her and pulled her up against him. "I'm taking you home tonight and I'm not leaving until the morning."

"Hmmm… I'm looking forward to it." She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. "So… you're not mad anymore?"

Jason shook his head. "No, I could never be mad at you, I love you Sam." He kissed her again. "Are you still mad at me?"

She shook her head as well. "No, I understand, this fundraiser is important, I would've done the same." She pulled back and waited for him to untie her shawl from the door handles and hand it back to her. "Now, let's get back to the party, shall we?" She placed her hand into his offered one.

"Oh, just to let you know, I was watching Lisa and she's pretty much been staring at Robin and Patrick the entire night."

"Thanks. I need to tell Aidan, that way we could keep an eye out for her." She was about to pull away when he pulled her right back to him, making sure the shawl was still wrapped around her.

"Listen, also, I want you to be careful, one of the Balkan's men is dressed up as a waiter, he's waiting for Lucky to distract me so that he could take Brenda through the kitchen. Just make sure to watch out and be careful, please."

The sincerity and worry look in his eyes made her heart melt. "Of course, you too." She gave him a quick kiss. "I'm just going to the bathroom to um… freshen up." She pulled away and walked towards the back leaving Jason to stare at her ass until she was out of sight.

 *********************************************

Making sure that her dress was straight after she washed her hands, Sam went back into the stall to get her purse, she was about to exit the stall when she heard a commotion enter the bathroom. She could hear raised voices, Robin and… Lisa? Oh no! Lisa was yelling at Robin about how she is no good for Patrick and how she tried to domesticate him, Robin was yelling just as loud. Making sure that she was quiet, Sam silently opened the door just a crack. Lisa was standing with her back to Sam, holding a knife on Robin. This was it, she had officially reached her peak of insanity. She could hear the yelling and the name calling and every time Robin tried to make it to the door, Lisa would lunge at her, all while keeping her back to Sam.

Quietly, Sam pulled out her phone from her purse and sent a text to Aidan. 'Lisa with knife to Robin in the ladies bathroom. Bring Mac.' She placed it back in her purse and reached down for her gun. She waited for Mac and Aidan to bust in before she made herself known, she wasn't about to take any chances with that knife yielding psychotic bitch.

"YOU BITCH! It's all your fault! You stole Patrick away from me! He was EVERYTHING to me and you took him away!" Lisa shouted out as she waved her knife close to Robin's face, she had cornered her up against the far wall.

"I didn't steal anything, he came to me, he loves me and we have a beautiful daughter together." Robin whispered out painfully as tears streamed down her face.

"No, NO! You trapped him! HE DOESN'T LOVE YOU!"

Before Lisa could say anything else, the bathroom door slammed open, Aidan and Patrick, along with Mac burst into the bathroom holding guns and aiming them at Lisa. She grabbed Robin by the arm, swung her around, and held Robin against her as she pressed the blade to her throat. "Don't come any closer! I'll kill her."

"Put the knife down! PCPD Lisa, there's no way out of this! Put the knife down and let Robin go." Mac spoke up even though his heart was racing at a hundred miles an hour. The bitch had his niece and she was threatening to kill her.

Patrick couldn't believe what he was seeing, his ex girlfriend had a knife up against his wife's throat. "Lisa, come on, put the knife down, let her go, this is between you and me, let Robin go."

"NO! I don't think so, she's my ticket out of here." Stepping forward, Lisa was getting ready to push Robin in front of her so that she could get through the door to escape, but Patrick stepped in the way. "I loved you with everything that I had, and you betrayed me, you used me, throw me out like trash and you go back to HER. I would've given you EVERYTHING!"

"I have everything, I have my wife and my daughter, I have the family I've always wanted. I love them Lisa, not you!"

Sam couldn't afford to wait any longer, this was her best chance to get Lisa and finish this. Gently and quietly she opened the stall. Mac and Patrick were too busy looking at Lisa and Robin to notice her, Aidan looked like he was ready to kill the bitch that was holding his cousin and only spared her a quick glance. This was her only shot and she had to make it count. She crept up quietly behind Lisa, the gun firmly gripped in her hands, and just as Mac and Patrick finally realized what she was doing, it was too late to object, Sam raised her hand and slammed the butt of the gun down on Lisa's head, effectively knocking her out, causing the knife to fall from her grasp. It was the best way to take her down without actually killing her and not hurting Robin in the process.

Robin stumbled in Patrick's arms as Mac and another officer rushed for Lisa laying unconscious on the floor. She couldn't believe that it was over and she had her cousin and Sam to thank. She looked up to see her cousin making his way towards her, she pulled back from Patrick and jumped into Aidan's waiting arms. "Thank you, thank you so much Aidan."

He kissed her forward and held on to his family tighter. "Don't thank me, it was all Samantha." He looked up to see Samantha's tears glisten her hypnotizing eyes. He owed her so much. His heart swelled even more for her. He couldn't deny his feelings any longer, he was falling in love with her.

Sam stood back and smiled at the sight before her, the threat was handled and a family was reunited. They didn't have to worry about Lisa anymore, this was enough to put her away for attempted murder. She nodded to Mac giving her a job well done and many thanks as she walked up to Robin. Pulling away from Aidan, Robin turned to Sam and hugged her as well. "Thank you Sam, I'm so glad that this is over, thank you so much." Sam could do nothing but cry along with her, thanking God that this nightmare was over with. Looking up at Aidan, Sam could see how this had affected him too, she was happy for her friend, but did that mean that he was going to leave Port Charles now? She found a friend in Aidan and she hoped that she wasn't going to lose him.

 ***********************************************

While all the drama was happening in the ladies bathroom without anyone else knowing, Jason kept his eyes opened for the threat that was about to attack them from inside the ballroom. He hadn't seen Sam return from the ladies room and he hoped that she was alright. He couldn't help himself on the balcony, he was a little too rough, but he knew she liked it that way, just one look at that dress she had molded to her body and Jason couldn't wait to rip it off.

But he could feel something that was bothering him, something wasn't right and it only confirmed his suspicion when he noticed Aidan, Mac and some other officer run towards the ladies bathroom in the back. Something was wrong. But before Jason could go back there to make sure that Sam was alright, Lucky stepped up to him, giving the Balkan's man the signal to kidnap Brenda. He looked impatiently at Lucky, pissed that he picked this time to confront him. Lucky had kept himself in the dark this entire time, keeping his alter ego as Ronan, making sure to not show himself to all his friends in family in Port Charles, he couldn't have waited a few more minutes. Damn it!

Kale saw his signal, Ronan was currently talking to Morgan, this was his chance to finally get the Barrett woman to his boss and collect his reward. He placed the tray of champagne flutes on the nearest table and walked up to the woman. "Miss Barrett." He waited for her to acknowledge him with a smile before he continued. "There seems to be a situation in the kitchen and a Miss Suzanne asked me to come and collect you."

Brenda looked up at him confused, why would Suzanne ask this waiter to collect her, what was so important that she had to handle it and not her. Suzanne mentioned that she was going to leave early but she would first make sure to double check everything before she left, maybe she found a mistake and she needed her input on it. Choosing to accept the waiter's story, Brenda walked ahead of him towards the double doors to the kitchen expecting to see Suzanne. Instead, she was grabbed by Max and forced behind him just as Cody and Milo grabbed onto the waiter. "What the hell is going on?" Brenda questioned not knowing about the plan that Lucky and Jason came up with.

Just as Jason and Lucky made their way to the kitchen to confront the Balkan's men, Jason let out a sigh of relief at seeing a crowd exit the bathrooms off to the side. Mac and an officer had a handcuffed Lisa and were leading her out towards the back, followed by Patrick and Aidan holding Robin. Sam was the next to follow. She looked up at him and gave him breathtaking smile, letting her know that she was alright and then followed the rest of the crowd out but first giving him a signal that she would call him later and threw him an air kiss. Whatever happened in the bathroom was contained and Lisa was captured. He thanked God that Sam was ok. Now he just had to deal with this piece of shit.

Opening the double doors to a now cleared out kitchen, Jason nodded to his men at a job well done. Pulling out his gun, he aimed it at the guys head. "What do you want with Brenda?" When the guy remained silent, Jason nodded to his man and stepped back as Max punched the guy in the gut. Brenda averted her eyes at the grueling sight. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to be with Sonny but she couldn't move, she was too traumatized, she was almost captured tonight. "Again, why do you want Brenda?"

"The Balkan just wants his son's body, she killed him and had her cop friend dumped his body, he just wants his son and his revenge."

They all turned to the only cop in the room at the time, Lucky, but he quickly shook his head saying that it wasn't him. Before anyone spoke, the kitchen doors opened up and Dante stepped through. To everyone's surprise, Brenda launched herself into the man's arms. "He knows, he knows about Alexander…. He knows that we got rid of him."

Behind Dante came Sonny and was shocked and confused at the sight before him. His girlfriend was in the arms of his son and there was something so familiar about it, as if they were comfortable together, not as strangers, but as two people who've known each other a long time. "What the hell is going on here?"

Jason nodded to his men and waited for them to drag the waiter away, turning back, he was furious at what he just learned. Brenda had killed the Balkan's son and Dante had hid the body. That hypocritical son of a bitch, he had no problem turning Michael, his own brother, in for killing Claudia, but helped Brenda get rid of a body. He was so furious, he was shooting daggers at the two of them. "You have some explaining to do? NOW!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next morning, Sam was heading over to Jason's penthouse to talk about what all happened last night at the fundraiser. Last night, when she left the PCPD after making her statement about the event in the bathroom with Robin and Lisa, Sam went home hoping that Jason would be there when she got in. Instead her apartment was empty. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointment at that, but then she remembered that he had told her something about one of the Balkan's men dressed up as a waiter to snatch Brenda, she figured that something must have happened and he wasn't coming over tonight. She pulled off her dress, showered, and changed into a tank top and sweats, but when she exited the bathroom, she knew she wasn't alone, Jason was laying on her bed still dressed up in his tuxedo. He looked tired and worn out. Not one word was said between the two of them, she was fine with that, she didn't have the energy to explain it all tonight. As soon as she sat on the bed next to him, he pulled her in for a soft kiss, nothing like they had experienced on that balcony earlier because they were both too tired, and then proceeded to go shower himself. When he left the bathroom, she was already in bed, tucked underneath the covers. He lowered himself behind her, pulled her flush to his chest, made sure they were both covered and gave her a kiss to her hair as he breathed in deeply. He told her "Goodnight" and that he loved her. They were both asleep in each other's arm as soon as she uttered them back. She woke up to a note on Jason's pillow. 'I'm sorry I had to go, come by the penthouse when you wake up. Love you.' It was short, but it was also sweet of him to make sure that she didn't wake up to nothing. He was there last night and now she was on her way to see him.

Something else happened last night, something big, she could feel the tension rolling off of him, she just needed to figure out what. As soon as she stepped off of the elevators, she could hear the arguing out in the hall, she could Brenda's whiny voice, and what she thought was Jason's voice was instead….. Dante's? What the hell was he doing here? She knew right away that there was more to the story that Brenda originally spun, especially if Dante was there. Opening the door to the penthouse as she let herself in, Sam was surprised at what she saw in front of her. Jason was standing by the fireplace with his hands on his hips, a sign that he was getting agitated and losing his patience. Brenda was in front of him, arms flailing around and screaming like a banshee, but immediately quieted down as soon as they knew Sam was there. Lucky was sitting on the last step of the stairs with his head in his hands clearly frustrated, and Dante, whom was now sporting a really good shiner, was sitting over on the big chair in the living room. As she closed the door, all mouths were shut and all eyes were turned to her. Oh yeah, something big was going on, and she needed to know what it was, now!

"What's going on here?" She threw the question in the room hoping that someone, anyone was going to answer but when all eyes rested on Brenda and Jason, Sam turned to them as well. She looked at Jason, putting him on the spot and not really caring at the moment, they were keeping something from her. "Do you wanna tell me what's going on?" Her heart winced when she saw the guilty look in his eyes, he was hiding something from her… again. She remembered that look, it was the look he had given her for months that awful year, it was a look that was seared in her mind, the look of guilt, the look that he was hiding something and she couldn't fight the pain in her heart that she would see that look again. "Ok." She nodded as she tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall, what were they hiding?

Jason could see the hurt in her eyes, and it was killing him. She knew that he was hiding something from her and it was eating at him, slowly. He didn't want to keep this from her, didn't want to tell her for her own safety. If the Balkan had ever found out that she knew the truth, she would be in danger and he couldn't do that to her. It also wasn't his secret to tell. After the confrontation with the waiter last night, and learning that Brenda and Dante knew each other so well, Jason made them tell him truth. They told him how they had met a few years ago, about how Brenda killed Alexander, and how Dante hid the truth and threw his body in the river. Dante was immediately introduced to Jason's fist. The bastard, the fucking hypocrite had the balls to lecture him about protecting Michael by covering up Claudia's death, all the while he had done the same to save some woman he just met. Michael was his nephew and Dante's brother, and the son of a bitch sold him out the judge, causing Michael's imprisonment in Pentonville and all the events that surrounded it. Jason was so ready to kill him, so ready to pound into him like there was no tomorrow, it had took Lucky and Sonny to hold him back. Sonny, pfft don't even get him started on that one, choosing one son over the other. Motherfucker!

He hated being in this position, hated that he couldn't tell Sam the truth, hated that he had to keep this from her, but if the Balkan knew that Sam knew where Alexander's body was, she would be the prime target. Hell, she already was just because she was with him. He knew she hated when he made choices for her, but his number one priority was to protect her, and he swore to Brenda that he would never tell anyone what he learned. It just wasn't his secret to tell. Brenda wasn't anything like Sam. Sam has killed before in self defense, just like Brenda did that night, but the only difference was, was that his beautiful petite Sam was strong, she could brush it off her shoulder and not let it affect her life. But Brenda couldn't, she was still being haunted by that night all these years later.

Sam had just walked in on them arguing over an idea that Brenda came up with, just give the Balkan Alexander's body and he would leave her alone. She just didn't understand, she killed HIS son, he would want revenge, he would want her to pay. They had to come up with another plan, he wanted this over with as soon as possible. Seeing the hurt in Sam's eyes now, was like a knife to his heart. He couldn't tell her the truth, he once again had to keep something from her, but at least it wasn't about him, it wasn't about them and it wouldn't affect them in any way. Not like the lie about Jake. Seeing her nod and turn away, Jason was desperate to stop her. "Sam… wait, you don't have to go…" It seemed like it took forever for him to cross his living room to reach her. He grabbed a hold of her hand and turned her around, he immediately saw the moisture in her eyes and he hated himself all over again. He had to tell her something. "We… we were just trying to figure out how to bring the Balkan out." It wasn't a lie, it was the truth, but not the whole truth. He sat on the couch and pulled her next to him, holding her to make that she wouldn't leave, that she wouldn't leave him.

She knew it was a half truth, she knew Jason too well, something was going on that he didn't want her to know. But at least he told her something. They needed a plan. She would shove her insecurities down that were threatening to choke her and help him out, help them out. Looking up at Dante, she still didn't know what he was doing here.

Feeling her eyes on him, Dante looked up to see Sam staring at him with scrutiny. She was trying to figure out why he was here. "Mac sent me as guard detail."

Speaking of Mac, she turned to Jason. "What happened last night? Did you get the waiter?"

He nodded, thankful that the topic shifted. "Yeah, he tried to grab Brenda, I had men stationed in the kitchen they took care of it."

"Did he say anything?" She looked around when everyone looked to the next person, and she was getting fed up with it.

Jason answered. "Just that the Balkan wanted Brenda, he used Lucky to pretend he was some Irish guy named Ronan, to distract me so that the waiter could get to Brenda. We stopped him, but that doesn't mean that they won't try again."

"Then let's set him up." Lucky spoke as he got up from where he was sitting. He didn't like hiding anything from Sam, especially with everything they had been through, but Jason was right, this would put her at unnecessary risk.

"How?" Brenda asked, having sick and tired of all this hiding.

"I pretend to kidnap you, call the Balkan, tell him I have you and then draw him out." He noticed Jason and Dante shake their heads not liking the idea. "Come on, Jason, you know it's the best way. And I'll be there to protect her. I'll take her to a warehouse where you'll be hiding, and as soon as the Balkan gets there, you and your men can come out."

"Fine. When do we do this?" Brenda agreed with the plan, she was ready to fight.

"No." Jason shook his head. "It's too dangerous, you could get hurt."

"Actually it doesn't sound that bad Jason. We could get Brenda out of there as soon as the Balkan come in. This could all be over with."

"What if something went wrong? What're you going to do?" Jason asked looking directly at Brenda. He knew the answer, if something went wrong, she wouldn't be able to protect herself and the Balkan would have her. "You wouldn't be able to handle the situation."

"You're right." Sam spoke up, when Jason turned to her she continued. "You can't use Brenda…. Use me instead."

Jason immediately shook his head furiously and stood up to pace, knowing that she was going to put up a fight. "NO! No way in hell, Sam, it's not going to happen."

"Come on Jason, you said it yourself, she wouldn't be able to handle it, but I could." He was still shaking his head no, so she pressed on. "It's a good plan, I'll dress up like Brenda, Lucky will "kidnap" me and then take me to the warehouse. Me and Brenda are the same size, same color hair, he could put a sack over my head, the Balkan will never know."

She was so wrong, she was not the same size as that beanpole. Sam was heavily well endowed in the breast department, something that Jason loved and couldn't get enough of, she wasn't flat or boney, she was perfect. He wanted to point that out but he'd be damned if he was going to get the other males in the room to size her up and stare at her chest. He hated that one of them already had that little piece of Heaven, but no longer, she was his and his alone. But she did have a point. "I don't know about this Sam, something could go wrong…"

"Which is ok, you know I'm level headed in a crisis situation, I can hold my own in a gun fight…"

"And I'll be there." Lucky spoke up and earned a glare from Jason. "You can trust me Jason, I'll protect her."

How was he going to trust another man with something so precious, Sam's life? He knew they were right, he wouldn't win this argument, and besides, he would be there the entire time. "Fine."

"NO! Absolutely not!" Brenda didn't like it, she didn't want someone else risking their life for her. "You can't let her do this Jason, it's not right, what if she gets hurt? I can't live with myself if something bad happened to any of you… he's after me not Sam."

Sam had to admire her for that, she was taking responsibility over this whole mess, but Sam knew that if something went wrong, then Brenda would be dead. "It's ok, I can do this. I want to do this, I want to help." She looked up at Jason imploring that he would agree with her.

Jason looked into her chocolate eyes, he was lost in them, she always had that power over him. She could hold her own, he would give her that, he just didn't like it when she put herself in danger, especially for him. He could still hear Brenda arguing away in the background, Dante arguing back for her to see reason. He looked up at Lucky. "Make the call." Then he went right back to look down at Sam, his beautiful brave Sam. He could still see slight hesitation in her eyes, he could still see the hurt, but hopefully after this was done, it would just be the two of them, and then he would tell her the truth.

 ***************************************************

They had a plan, a damn good one. After she had dressed up in something she knew Brenda would wear, she donned on a pair of huge sunglasses, parted her hair down the middle and went downstairs to show off her new look. She hated it, reminded her of Jason's ex wife, she certainly didn't want to remind him that she looked somewhat similar to her. Jason had kissed her and left to meet them at the warehouse, Dante was supposed to babysit Brenda, and Sam was kidnapped by Lucky (Ronan) as she followed Max and Milo out of Harbor View Towers.

Lucky had already made the call to the Balkan, now all they had to do was wait. She hated being tied up, she was thankful that Lucky had them done up loose so that she could get away anytime she wanted to. She was sitting on the chair, without the sack that was causing her nose to itch. Waiting. She hated waiting. Suddenly, the sounds of Jason's cell phone blared. Both Sam and Lucky turned to see Jason answer the phone. "What? Are you fucking kidding me? Damn it Dante! Just stay put! I'll be right there!" He hung up and kicked the box by his feet across the warehouse floor cussing.

"Jason, what happened?" Sam asked not liking this rage on him.

After taking a deep breath he calmed down his rage and spoke up. "Brenda left the penthouse and ran into one of Balkan's men. Dante ran after him and jumped the guy, but Brenda grabbed his gun and shot him." He saw the look on Lucky's face, it was the same that night that Brenda killed Alex, but Sam didn't know that.

"Oh my God! Is she ok?" Sam asked genuinely concerned. She man not like the woman but knew the toll a death on your hands would take on a person.

"She's fine, but I have to get over there." He turned her around and untied her hands, he wasn't going to leave without her.

"What are you doing?" She asked confused, rubbing her wrists where the rope was.

"This is over, I'm not leaving you guys here. The Balkan know that it was a bust, they already found Brenda."

"No Jason, only one of them found her, the Balkan could still be coming." As soon as the words left her mouth, Lucky's cell phone rang. Her and Jason watched him pick up, talk to the other person, then hang up and turn back to them.

"That was the Balkan, he'll be in here in an hour." Lucky shoved his phone back in his pocket. "Look Jason, this is the only chance we got, he sounded like he was on a plane. It didn't sound like he knew anything about the real Brenda, it sounds like he believed me. I can't let this blow my cover." He could still see Jason's resistance. "You've got men surrounding this warehouse, right?" When Jason nodded he continued. "Ok, just go and figure out what's going on with Brenda and get back here within the hour. As soon as the Balkan gets here, I'll take Sam out the back way and send your men in here to hold them. Trust me, it'll work."

Jason looked up at Lucky, he still didn't like this plan, not liking that Sam would be here without him. Did he trust Lucky? Yes. Did he trust Lucky with Sam's life? Hell no! He was the only one that he could trust regarding her. But Lucky was right, he would just have to talk to his men first and make sure that their number one priority is Sam's safety, Lucky can handle himself. "Ok." He nodded then looked down at Sam. "I don't want to leave you, but he's right. Don't be the hero Sam, as soon as they get here, I want you out, understand?" When he saw her nod, he bent down and gave her a long kiss. "Be safe and call me, I'll let my men know." With one last look at the woman he loved he left. He went on his way to Brenda, to figure out what the fuck happened to their original plan. Maybe he should just hand her over to the Balkan, save himself all this headache.

 ******************************************************

Sam wasn't too thrilled about why Jason had to leave, something happened to the princess and the knight in shining fucking armor went to rescue her. All the skinny bitch had to do was follow the plan, just sit your ass home and watch some TV or read a fucking book, or how about this original idea, call your fucking boyfriend to babysit your ass. Sonny was useless as usual in this scenario, he was always the figure behind the organization, not the brains and definitely not the brawn. He was home dealing with his own private hell, getting Claire Walsh off his ass for jumping country. So that left Jason to clean up his messes.

"The Balkan gave us an hour so let's talk about his."

Lucky off her negative thoughts. "Ok."

"As soon as we hear them coming we run out the back, you get to the car and get out of here…"

"Wait a minute, what are you going to do?" Sam asked not liking the plan to leave Lucky on his own.

"I'll stay here with Jason's men then call Interpol to finish my assignment. I can't leave the Balkan to Jason, Interpol will be all over him…." Before he could finish his sentence, they heard a sound coming from outside the warehouse. Lucky immediately looked down at his watch. It hadn't been an hour, it had barely been 20 minutes. Pulling out his gun from his waistband, he looked over at Sam and placed his finger over his lips to 'shh' her. He waited for her to nod and pull out her own weapon before he ducked low and went over to the window to peer out into the night. The lights outside the warehouse were out, blinding them, but he could see shapes. They were out there. He would've thought they were Jason's men, but he knew they weren't, something wasn't sitting right.

Seeing shadows from the back window, Sam ducked low and looked out into the night. She saw the same on this side as well but then they both turned to look at each other when they heard the sounds, gunfire. It was a trap. Her and Lucky were trapped in the warehouse while the Balkan's men surrounded the place and shot up Jason's men. They were sitting ducks. Lucky immediately left his side and ran towards Sam, forcing her down when the shots started to ring through the windows and into the warehouse. "We have to get the fuck out of here!" Grabbing her hand, he pulled her up and ran to the back door, opening it up to make sure he would be able to get shots off as they run, Lucky saw Jason's men firing at the Balkan's men, giving them the perfect cover. "We have to go NOW!" He squeezed her hand and right out the door, pulling her along with him as they shot at the other men.

They ran down the docks, away from the warehouse, but not away from the gunfight. They could hear the Balkan's men chasing after them, firing shots every now and then, they would have to duck and fire back in order to get some kind of gain. Seeing a boat on the side of the dock, she grabbed Lucky's hand and shoved him in that direction. "The boat!" As soon as they ran down the stairs and turn the corner of the docks near Kelly's, Sam collided with someone, successfully knocking her back on her ass. Looking up, she saw that it was Aidan. "Aidan!? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could say the same for you two." He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up towards him as he reached for his own piece at hearing the gunfire. He fired off quick shots as he ran after Samantha and Lucky, heading for the small boat. The three jumped on, and as Aidan and Lucky untied the ropes while still firing up at the docks.

"Cover me!" Sam immediately went for the engine. She was the hotwire queen after all.

"What the fuck is going on?" Aidan couldn't believe it, he was walking out from Kelly's minding his own business, thinking about the brunette in front of him, when wham she collided with him right in the middle of escaping a gunfight, a fight that he was currently in the middle of.

"Do you know how to get this going!?" Lucky shouted out between firing off his gun. He was about to ask again when he heard her shout "YES!", and the engine started. All three of them held on as she kicked up to full speed and got away. They still made sure to duck as the shooting never ceased, bullets whizzing past them. "We got company!" He watched in horror as the men grabbed another speed boat and head towards them. "Where are we going?!" He yelled out so that she would hear him over the roar of the motor and the sounds of the water.

"Wyndemere! Hang on!" She yelled back as she turned the wheel to head to Spoon Island.

"But Nikolas isn't there!"

"Exactly! We'll hide out in the caves until it's clear!"

"Will someone please tell me what the FUCK is going on here?!" Aidan couldn't be ignored any longer. He didn't mind the action but didn't like it one bit that Samantha was in it as well. He wondered where Morgan was? No matter, he was here with Samantha and he would protect her.

"The Balkan's men are after us! We'll explain later, right now I need to make sure that I don't kill us on the rocks!" Sam concentrated as she head for the rocky edge at the mouth of the caves. Wyndemere was full of secret passages, a few she knew of, one in particular that headed straight into Nikolas' office and if she could just get them there it would work out, she just had to remember which passage it was. Slowing down, being mindful of the rocks, Sam maneuvered the boat to stop safely at the edge, just barely scraping the bottom of the boat on a rocky edge as it came to a complete stop. The shots had ceased for now, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they started up again. She had to find a way to get on land and call Jason. She just hoped it wasn't too late.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

He was so close to just handing Brenda off to the Balkan wrapped up like a Christmas present with a big red bow, he was getting sick and tired of her bullshit. What the hell was she thinking? He told her to not leave the penthouse, even had Dante babysitting her ass, all he had to do was watch her, make sure that she didn't leave. Didn't her selfish ass know how many people's lives were on the line because of her including Lucky and Sam? Especially Sam. Lucky just risked his undercover position working for Interpol to infiltrate the Balkan's organization and take him down, but now, the Balkan will probably realize that Lucky was working with Jason all along. And Sam, she was dressed up and pretending to be Brenda so that she wouldn't get hurt. He didn't like it, but he had to admit it was a great plan, until Brenda and Dante fucked it all up. The idea of handing her off to the Balkan was sounding much better with each second that went by. As he ran to the alley behind his penthouse, he found Brenda and Dante were in a hug with a dead man lying on the ground. "What happened?" He came to a stop just next to the couple in an embrace, wondering what Sonny would think about the relationship between his girlfriend and his son. They claimed it was innocent, well it looked a little too familiar.

"Jason…" Brenda released Dante immediately and ran to Jason, her hands flying around his neck and embracing him. He always made her feel safe and she really needed him. She was thankful that Dante was there again, but she really needed her protector.

"What happened?" He repeated a little in a forceful tone looking at Dante. He tried to pry Brenda off of him, but thought twice as she held on to him and cried. A part of him felt bad for her, she wasn't made for this life, she wasn't made for Sonny's world, or Sonny himself. She needed someone like Jax, but that would just throw Carly's world out of orbit. No, what she needed, was to go back to Rome. Feeling a little guilty for thinking so harshly, he circled his arms around her and held her to comfort her while her sobbing increased.

"Again…." Brenda sobbed against his chest. "Just like last time…. I killed him…. Oh God…." She buried her head again and cried for the two men that she killed.

"Shhh…. It wasn't your fault…." Jason whispered to her, feeling bad for his friend. "But I need you to tell me what happened, ok?" He kept his tone soft and pulled out of her embrace. "Just tell me everything." He was still pissed at the both of them, but he needed answers.

Seeing Brenda so distraught, Dante chose to explain. "I was sitting there on the couch…. I thought she was upstairs…." He started to rub the back of his head.

"I… I hit him over the head with the vase…" Brenda finished. "I'm sorry ok, but I couldn't let you guys risk your lives for me, not you and especially not Sam…" She looked around, ready to apologize to Jason's girlfriend but saw no one. "Where is she?"

"She's with Lucky waiting for the Balkan to show up, and I SHOULD BE THERE!" He yelled out, he couldn't control his voice, then lowered it again when he saw her flinch towards Dante. "All you had to do was just sit there and wait, but instead, you put EVERYONE at risk." He took a deep breath. "Do we know who this guy is?" He asked stepping towards the body and not apologizing for shouting, at this point he just didn't care anymore.

"No ID on him." Dante shook his head. "He just told us that the Balkan was waiting for her."

Just didn't understand that part. Why would the Balkan send his man here when Lucky had a meeting with him at the warehouse, supposedly holding Brenda? It was dawning on him, it was a setup, and the minute his cell phone rang through the silence, Jason realized that he was right. "What's wrong?" He asked Max as soon as he picked up. He could feel his blood run cold.

"We were ambushed, it was a setup!" Max yelled into his phone as he kept firing towards the crates that the Balkan's men were hiding behind, his brother right beside him.

"DAMN IT! Where's Sam?" Jason was barely holding on to his rage. His body was gearing up for a fight, the cold was being replaced with hot anger, boiling his blood and warming up his body. The beast was ready to come out.

"I don't know! Her and Lucky left the back way and they headed off to the docks, towards Kelly's, but some of the Balkan's men ran after them." Max said then fired off a few shots, he smiled at hearing the grunt from his enemy, one more down. "We can't get to them, we've got our own problems." He rose up and fired again and again, having sick and tired of hiding, he needed to help his friends.

"I'm heading to the docks, do what you can and get me some guys there!" He hung up without saying goodbye already taking steps towards Sam's direction. He looked back to Dante. "It was a setup, it was a MOTHERFUCKING SETUP! He knew! He knew what we were doing! Somebody tipped him off and now my men, Sam and Lucky are fighting for their lives." He turned to run but Dante grabbed his arm to stop him.

"What do you want me to do? I have to call this in." He said motioning over the body and a distraught Brenda.

"I don't give a FUCK what you have to do, just leave me out of it. I have to find Sam!" Jason took off running towards the docks, he was glad that he only lived a few blocks down from them. With each step his boots hit the pavement, he hated himself that much more. How the hell could he have left Sam? Why would he leave her? He thought they had an hour, thought that they had time so that he could check up on Brenda and then make it back to Sam on time, but no, once again, he let her down. He left her alone….. now he just prayed that he would find her safe and alive.

 ******************************************

"Which one do we take?" Lucky asked Sam, looking into the mouth of the cave that led into the secret passageways of Wyndemere. The castle was full of them, over three dozen secret rooms, secret hallways, secret hideouts and crawlspaces that led one part of the house to the other. He remembered exploring some of them, but no one knew where they all were, except for Helena. Nikolas only knew a few of them, and his insight would be helpful right about now, but he wasn't here. It was just him, Sam, and Robin's cousin, and a about four of the Balkan's men chasing after them.

"I don't know." Sam shook her head looking from one entrance way to the next, hoping to jog her memory. "The last time I found it was when we were here for the Black and White ball, I… I don't remember."

"Sam that was four years ago…"

"I know, I know… I don't know which one it is, but I do know that one of them leads to the stables and one of them leads to Nikolas' study. Either way we can't stay here!" She turned around as she heard Aidan fire off some shots towards the enemy's direction. They couldn't see much in the dark but she saw that he was able to get one of them, bringing them down to three, good, one for each of them.

"Ok, ok, I say we just split up, three caves, three of us, and three of them." He looked over at Sam and was happy to see that she was accepting it and not arguing, they didn't have the time. He was scared for her but he knew that she could handle herself. He admired her for that.

"NO!…" Aidan shook his head furiously. "There is no way that I'm leaving Samantha alone! I'll go with her." He reached down and grabbed her hand, holding on tighter when she tried to pull away.

"Look, I appreciate your concern but I can take care of myself…" She yanked her hand back and turned towards the caves. "I'll see you guys on the other side!" She said to them just before she turned and ran through the far corridor.

Just before Lucky took off, he looked over at Aidan while he was firing for cover. "Look, I don't know you man, but I do know that you need to keep your distance from Sam." Lucky shook his head thinking about how Aidan grabbed Sam's hand. "If the Balkan's men don't kill you…. Jason will." With that said, he ran into one of the other corridors firing at the men that were chasing so that he could give Aidan cover as well as he ran to a different corridor and out of sight. Lucky prayed that they would get out of this alive.

 *****************************************************

Making it down to the docks, Jason ran down the stairs looking in all directions, hoping to find Sam or even Lucky. "SAM!" He called out but he didn't hear anything. "LUCKY!" Not a word, not even gunfire. He was about to head towards the way of the warehouse when he saw Max, Milo and a few of his men running toward him. "Did you see Sam or Lucky?"

"No…" Max shook his head and bent over with his hands resting on his knees to catch his breath from running. Milo, seeing Jason was losing his patience while Max was clearly resting, he spoke up. "We took care of the Balkan's men, our cleaning crew are there now, but no Jason, no sign of Sam or Lucky."

Cody jumped in. "I saw some damage from erratic gunfire, and we passed by a body that they must've taken out, so we know that they were headed here."

Nodding, Jason wasn't sure what to do. He thought it was a long shot but he had to try, pulling out his cell phone, he decided to call Sam. He listened as the ringing started, but as soon as it rang on his end, he heard it ring out into the night, it was her cell phone, it was here on the docks. He motioned his men to look for it as they all turned to the sound, he looked everywhere when Milo suddenly call out to them. "I found it!" He held it up, it was laying at edge of the pier. He was pissed that she had dropped it, but it could be their only clue to finding her. He looked down and seen all the loose rope lying around, Max spoke his thoughts aloud. "They must have taken a boat."

"There's another one missing over here too!" Cody called out as he saw the same ropes flung hazardly around. Someone was in a hurry.

"We need a boat!" Jason looked around frantically for another boat, something, anything to get them out into the water and after Sam. The only thing around was the launch that took them over to Wyndemere. That would do. He ran towards it, his men following right behind him. With Nikolas out of the country, no one was here to take them over to the island, so he did the only thing he could: he stole it. With his men on board, Jason punched it down as fast as it could go not sure which direction to take. He heard his men call out and point to Wyndemere where he could hear shots and see gun blast going off, they were on the island, and so help him that if Sam was hurt, the Balkan would see the beast unleashed.

 ************************************************

She couldn't see a thing, barely two feet in front her, it was pitch black except for the occasional cracks in the cave that the moon's beams peaked through. Every now and then she was able to see and then darkness would take over. But she couldn't stop, she couldn't go back, she could hear one of the men coming after her, they were going to kill her…. Unless she killed him first. She looked back remembering one the cracks in the wall that she just passed through, a soft pale light was coming through, not enough to light the place, but just enough to see the man pass through. Ducking down, she pulled out her gun and waited.

"There's nowhere to go so you might as well give up!" The man called out into the darkness. "Come out and I promise to take it easy on you….. after I'm through with you."

Sam cringed at the eagerness in his voice, she could see him smile as he came into view and it sickened her. Not wasting anytime, she aimed and fired, a direct hit to his heart, he was dead but she had to keep moving, she didn't know how many more were coming after her. She hated to kill him, but she knew that it was either her or him, and she had way too much to live for. First thing she would do when she got out: kick Brenda's ass, second: kick Brenda's ass again for good measure.

Holding out her hands in front her, Sam wasn't sure how much longer this corridor was until her hands bumped into something massive in front of her. Standing back a bit, she looked up to see just a slither of the moon's rays shining down from the crack in the rock ceiling 30 feet above her. In front of her there was a wall, not a rock's dead end, but cement. This was it, she found it, but now she had to find a way in. She remembered finding it in the study, the lever underneath the mantel opened the wall up from the other side, but how do you open it up from this side? Looking around, she spread out her hands and felt all around her, a lever, a loose rock, something that would open the wall. She froze when she suddenly heard a sound coming from behind her. She turned and was shocked to see another opening, back as far as where she killed the guy, another entrance way, one that ended at the exact same spot she was in. She could hear someone coming through. She ducked once again and waited for the perfect shot, but when she raised her gun aimed as the man came into view, she froze. It was Aidan. "Aidan!" She stood up and called out to him. She watched as relief flashed his face as he came running towards her.

"Oh thank God you're alright." He embraced her in a tight hug, relief overwhelmed him that his Samantha was ok, that she was alive and was right here with him. "I'm so glad I found you… it seems my corridor led to yours." Just as it should be, he thought to himself.

"Look, we found it." She pulled out from his hug and ran to the wall. "It's the passageway to Nikolas' study, we just have to find the lever…" She turned to face the wall and continued with her search. "Just look over on that side." She pointed out the other side of the wall and they both searched frantically when all of a sudden… **BOOM!...** the blast sounded out and radiated throughout the cave, the force shook them. Aidan threw himself on top of Sam as the cave collapsed all around them.

When everything was quiet, Sam poked out her head coughing at the dust around them. "What the hell was that?! And where in the hell did they have time to find a grenade?!" She brushed off the dust and rubble from her clothes, turning to Aidan as he did the same.

"I don't know." He walked up to the rock wall that just enclosed them in, both passageways were gone. "But they effectively blocked us in." He looked up to the moon filtering through the crack high above them and followed its glowing path down to her beautiful face, she looked ethereal, magical, even with the dust and rubble in her hair, she was a fantasy…. And he was alone with her….. finally.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It felt like hours before he reached the docks of Spoon Island, the fucking launch only had two speeds: slow and un-fucking-believably slow. He was even more pissed off at himself that he wasn't able to maneuver the launch around the rocky edge where the sparks from the gun fire was coming from, instead he had to dock it on the island's pier. Running off towards the cliffs with his men pounding behind him, Jason realized why Sam had chosen the more dangerous rocky shore to dock, they would've been vulnerable on all this open land off the docks, might as well tape a bull's eye on your back and let the Balkan's men have a bit of target practice. She had chosen the rocks for a cover, smart girl.

It was bad enough to balance themselves as Jason and his men ran and leaped over the slippery rocks, but now they had to duck behind the boulders as bullets were suddenly ripped into the air ahead of them. The Balkan's men were firing at them at a constant pace so Jason waited patiently, counting the bullets as they were fired, they had to be running out of bullets. Waiting for the right time to when they were going to exchange clips, Max was the first to jump out when there was a moment of hesitation, Milo and Cody ran along with beside him. Jason was gearing up to follow when a dark figure to his left caught his eye, swinging the gun and aiming it, Jason was ready to take the guy out. He froze when he saw Lucky running up to him yelling at him, "Don't shoot, it's me, Lucky!" Looking behind Lucky, a chill went up Jason's spine when he realized that Sam wasn't with him.

"Where's Sam?!" He demanded then impatiently waited as Lucky took a moment to catch his breath.

"We…. We split up…." Lucky took a deep breath. "Sam came up with the idea to separate in the tunnels, we would've been out in the open if we docked…" Seeing Jason nod in agreement, Lucky continued, he had a feeling Jason wasn't going to like this next part. "We were looking for the tunnel that led to Nikolas' study, so Sam, me and Aidan split up and each took a way…."

"Aidan?!" Jason was confused and completely pissed off to hear the guy's name. "How the fuck did he get involved?" He wasn't able to hide his annoyance if his life depended on it.

"We ran into him on the docks. I know you don't like him Jason but he helped us out." Lucky hoped to form some type of peace between them. Seeing that he wasn't going to get anywhere, Lucky continued. "I went through the far left, it took me to the stables. One of the Balkan's men came after me and I took him out. There were four all together."

"Which tunnel did Sam go through?" Jason turned towards the cave only to be stopped by his men running towards him from that way.

"The tunnel is caved in, it looks like just recently." Cody spoke up seeing the rage overcome his boss. He went ahead with his report. "We took out two men, both of them had full clips and grenades on them. They may have taken out the tunnels that way."

" **DAMN IT!"** Jason punched his fist through the air, frustration and darkness was consuming him at not knowing if Sam was alive or not, and they still one guy left to deal with. What if he had Sam?

"Why the hell would they be packing so much?" Lucky asked, that was a lot of arsenal for their original plan. "Unless…"

"They knew ahead of time, it was a setup." Jason finished his thoughts. "Someone leaked the information out…." He speared his hands through his hair, now was not the time to think about a trader in their midst, he needed to find Sam, she could be trapped, she could be dead…. NO! He wasn't going to think like that, maybe she found her way to the study. "We have to find Sam!" Jason took off to the direction of the mansion, his men and Lucky right behind him.

 ***********************************************************

"Did you find anything?" Sam asked Aidan for the tenth time as she was feeling the rocks to the right of the wall while Aidan did the same to the left side, wincing whenever she found a jagged piece. She had to find it, the lever should be around here somewhere, she remembered Helena coming through it once long time ago.

"No." Aidan answered shaking his head as he kept looking. He still couldn't believe that he was stuck here, trapped in this cave, with Sam. All he had ever wanted was a little alone time with her, time so that she could see that Aidan was the better match for her, not that murdering hitman. But this was even better, they were in a high intense life and death bonding situation, they would always be connected to this very moment, the moment when they had almost died, together, this would bond them forever. "I don't feel anything, you?"

"No. Nothing but rocks, rocks, and more rocks. **Ughh!"** She threw her hands up in the air and dropped to the ground in defeat, her back hitting hard against the concrete wall behind her. "I can't believe this! I can't believe we're stuck here!"

Hearing the frustration in her voice, Aidan walked up to her and dropped down right next to her, so close that their thighs were touching, his body started to heat up, she was so close to him, he could feel the heat from her body. Taking her hand in his and trying to push down the desire that flared him up, Aidan tried his best to soothe her. "Hey, don't worry, Lucky is still out there and he'll find us."

"What if something happened to him? What if he's dead? What if…..?" She fired off the questions, getting agitated fearing for her friend.

"Shhhh…" Aidan turned his body towards her, his right hand held hers, as his left hand moved to her head and started to stroke her hair. His body went up in flames as he felt the soft silkiness of her hair between his fingers, he bit back a groan and pulled her body more to him as he lowered her head to his shoulder. He felt her stiffen at first , but as his fingers continued their stroke through her strands as his he trailed his thumb lovingly across the back of her hand, she relaxed against him. This was where they belonged. "He'll be fine, I'm sure Lucky can handle himself. Isn't he a cop or something?"

Sam was grateful that she had Aidan with her, she took his comfort like any other friend, but she really wished that Jason was here with her instead. "Yeah, he's a cop, but Interpol hired him to go undercover as one of the Balkan's men?"

"Look, not that I'm not happy to help you out, but would you like to tell me what is going on, you know, since we're trapped down here anyways, until Lucky sends help." He added the last part, hoping that it would calm her down a bit. When she lifted her head off his shoulders, Aidan wanted to curse. He suddenly felt empty, it was as if a piece of himself was missing. Tightening his hold on her hand, he tried to pull her to him again, but stopped short when she pulled herself away from him and flattened her back against the wall. Not letting her completely pull away, Aidan grabbed a hold of her hand and intertwined their fingers together with both of their backs braced up against the wall. He just needed to touch her. When he noticed her eyes fall to their hands, he immediately brought up the subject again to change her train of thought. "Samantha, what happened?"

Forgetting about the uncomfortable hold he had on her hand, Sam felt guilty for sucking Aidan into this whole mess. It really wasn't her fault that he got mixed up into this, but she and Lucky did practically run him over trying to get away, and Aidan did help, a lot. She owed him the truth. So, she told him, about Brenda, about the Balkan, about Jason and Lucky helping out, about the plan that went to hell, about all of it, and she couldn't believe how light she felt. This situation had been weighing her down and being able to talk about, even to Aidan, seemed to help. Until….

"So he just left you?" Aidan asked not believing that Morgan chose to leave his girlfriend to face the Balkan's men while he tended to his ex wife.

"No! No… he didn't just leave me… Lucky was there…"

"But he still left you…"

"Brenda was in trouble, he had to make sure she was ok…." It didn't sound right even to her own ears.

"His ex wife was in trouble, so he jumped on his white horse to save the damsel in distress, leaving his current girlfriend to fend for herself. Face it Samantha, he left you."

"You don't understand, you don't know Jason, he knows that I can take care of myself, he doesn't need to babysit me."

"I understand that, I know how strong and how capable you are, but I would never… never leave you to go chase someone else. You, Samantha, you would always be my first priority." He held her gaze, wanting to lean in to her, to kiss her, wanting to finally taste her, but she looked away.

Not comfortable with the conversation, Sam turned her head. "Just forget it, you don't understand." She tried to pull her hand away but he held on firmly.

Feeling her pull away, Aidan realized that he pushed her too far, he held on to her hand tighter. "I'm sorry, alright, I didn't mean to make you doubt him, forgive me, please…" He was practically begging.

Hearing the sincerity in his voice, Sam gave him a break and relaxed again. "It's fine." In truth it wasn't fine, Aidan was right, no matter how you spin it, Jason still left her. But she still missed him, still wished that she could be with him, hold him, hear his voice… She yanked her hand away and searched through her pockets for her phone, realizing that she must have dropped it when she came up empty. "Damn it! I dropped my phone!" She looked over to Aidan. "Do you have yours on you? We can call Jason..."

He had two choices, he could tell her the truth and hand his phone over to her, or he could lie and tell her that he dropped it. He struggled with his choice but hearing how she said the bastard's name, and knowing that they would be free that much sooner and be away from her, he chose to hold on to her a little while longer. He pretended to search through the pockets of his jeans, knowing full well that his phone was in his inside jacket pocket. "No, I must've dropped it too."

 *********************************************************

"Where is everyone?" Jason asked as he followed Lucky into Nikolas' study. He took notice of how empty the house was, no one was around, not even Alfred. They quickly made their way over to the massive fireplace.

"Nikolas is out of town with Spencer, and his staff usually goes with him." Lucky answered as he placed his hands underneath the mantle and felt around, taking notice that Jason did the same. "It's under here somewhere, I've seen Nikolas and Helena use it." Feeling around, he found the lever and pulled on it. "Found it!" He yelled out and stepped back, waiting for it to open, but it wouldn't, it was stuck.

"What's going on?" Jason noticed the confused look on Lucky's face, the lever didn't work. "Why isn't it working?" Jason was growing more impatient, Sam was on the other side and he had to get to her.

"I don't know." Lucky looked over at him then looked back at the fireplace, willing it to open. "It must be stuck…" He reached under the mantle again and yanked harder. Nothing.

"Fuck it!" Jason leaned up to the wall above the mantel and pounded hard. "SAM! SAM CAN YOU HEAR ME? SAM! **ANSWER ME**!"

After a moment of silence, he heard it. "Jason?" It was soft, almost as if he imagined it but then he heard it again, louder this time. "JASON!"

"Oh thank God!" Jason breathed in a sigh of relief at hearing her angelic voice. "JUST HOLD ON BABY! WE'RE GONNA GET YOU OUT! ARE YOU OK?"

"Yeah, we're fine!"

Jason's breathing grew heavy, the 'we' part let him know that Aidan was trapped in there with her. How convenient? "Ok, get up against the wall and push!" He ordered his men and went to stand next to them. Each grabbed a hold of the brick wall of the fireplace and waited for his word. Looking up at Lucky to keep his hand on the lever, Jason counted out, "1, 2, 3… PUSH!" As hard as they could, Jason along with Max and Cody pushed against the wall forcing it to open. Bit by bit the massive wall moved, slowly it opened. And when it was finally opened, his eyes immediately locked on to her brown ones. "Oh, Sam…" He breathed out and held his arms open wide as the woman he loved jumped into his embrace. His arms immediately circled around her as he held her tight against him thanking God that she was once again with him, the feeling over body wrapped tightly around his warmed his heart, he was reunited with the other half of his soul.

Purposely ignoring Aidan, Jason only spoke to her. "Let's get you home." He kissed her forehead and walked out with the rest of the men behind him. Lucky and Aidan fell in last, as they talked about what happened that night and the fallout. Jason could feel Aidan's eyes burning a hole through him, but he didn't care, all he cared about was that he had his woman back in his arms, where she would always stay.

 ***********************************************************

Hours and hours and a long hot shower later, Sam and Jason were snuggled up together in their bed at the penthouse. Dante had handled Mac and the cops earlier and had Brenda home safe and in bed hours ago, while Jason and his men cleaned up the mess at the warehouse, the docks, and Wyndemere. He was thankful that he didn't lose any men, some were shot, but nothing serious. They had a mess on their hands, he had a leak in his organization and it needed to be dealt with, but not tonight. Tonight, he wanted to be in his bed with the woman he loved, his Sam. He tightened his hold around her and pulled her tight against him, her back flush with his chest, he didn't want to let her go. Kissing her head, he whispered "Goodnight" and closed his eyes.

The shriek of a Brenda's voice had awakened both of them up, Jason jumped out of his bed with Sam scrambling to get up and run behind him. She was half asleep when she got to Brenda's room only to stop short at the sight before her. Brenda had her arms and her body pressed up against Jason as she sobbed against him, his arms wrapped protectively around her. Sam knew he was just soothing her, trying to get her to calm down, but the sight before her was making her ill. She turned away.

 _He left you…._

Aidan's words echoed through her mind, he was right, no matter how you spin it, Jason still left her. Feeling out of place, Sam went back to their bedroom, no, it was still only Jason's bedroom, Sam had no claim here. He did ask her to move in, but she declined, knowing that he was only doing it to reassure her place in his heart. She knew that Jason loved her, knew that she was the only woman in his life, but she couldn't help feeling that something wasn't right. She sank on the bed thinking it through, feeling that this was so familiar, something was wrong, when all of sudden it hit her. Déjà vu. It was that awful year all over again, the year where he kept a huge life altering secret from her, the lies, the secret meetings with Elizabeth, the betrayal that drove them apart. Thinking about earlier that day, Sam remembered that there was still a secret between them, something that Jason wasn't telling her, something that he was still keeping from her. But why? She already knew that Brenda killed the Balkan's son, what was the big deal. He always told her everything that involved the business, they had no secrets between them, not anymore.

Looking up at the clock, Sam saw 5 minutes go by, then 10, then 20, when she realized that he was still in Brenda's room, she couldn't stay there anymore. She didn't want to even entertain the idea that he would be sleeping in her room to make Brenda feel better. She was his friend but they barely could stand each other, wait, didn't her and Jason's relationship start off that same way. Not liking the insecure feeling that she was getting, she grabbed her jacket and slowly and quietly made her way down the stairs. Leaving the penthouse, she was grateful that Max and Milo weren't there to stop her for questions. As she pressed the lobby button on the elevator, Sam tried hard to keep her tears at bay, not wanting to cry over this, but she couldn't help it. She was feeling left out. All of the events that day had finally caught up to her, she wanted to be with Jason, wanted to have his arms holding her, she almost died that day and instead of comforting her, he was comforting that stupid bitch. She couldn't stop the tears, they came down heavy, even as she stepped into her bedroom at her apartment, they still came down. Shutting off her phone, unplugging her land line, Sam threw herself on her bed and buried herself beneath the covers. She was alone.

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Aidan paced back and forth in his hotel room at the Metro Court. He was alone. That murderer practically forced her to go with him, not even giving the chance, or the option. If she was at her own place, Aidan could've at least visited her, made sure that she was ok. Just because Morgan could leave her to save someone else, Aidan would let her know that he cared about her, that he would always be there for her. Instead, he carted her off back to his fortress. There was no way that Morgan was going to let him in to see her. Picking up his phone, he called her, after getting her voice mail, it suddenly hit him: he told her that he lost his phone. He paced some more thinking about an excuse, it was ok, he would just tell her that he found it on the docks. She would believe him, she had to. Picking up again, he dialed for the second on, no answer, her voicemail kicked on. He sank down on the bed, listening to the sweet melody of her voice. There was nobody like her. She was special, she was different. He had to have her, one way or another he had to have her. He just had to get rid of Morgan first.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The pounding of her door woke her up from her sleep, after tossing and turning for most of the night (what was left of it), she finally fell asleep a few hours ago only to be woken up now. She briefly wondered if it was Jason, no, that was a lie, she knew it was Jason. And the only reason why he hadn't simply let himself in was because she flipped the dead bolt in place, effectively shutting him and the rest of the world out. But for how long?

"SAM! IT'S ME, OPEN THE DOOR NOW OR I'LL BREAK IT DOWN!" Jason bellowed out.

Yup, not long. Turning towards her night stand, she turned her phone on, 10 missed calls. 2 were from Aidan, 1 from Lucky and the rest were from Jason. Wait a minute… Didn't Aidan say he lost his phone? Before she could think on it further….

"DAMN IT SAM! OPEN UP!"

Instead of answering his call, she rolled out of bed and went to answer the door. She wasn't in the mood to take any of his crap today, yesterday was intense and she was only running on maybe 2 or 3 hours of sleep, her head was aching and her muscles were screaming in pain. She reached for the dead bolt and took a deep breath as she opened the door, moving out of the way as Jason came barreling through looking pissed off. "I'm surprised you even noticed I was gone." She closed the door and walked up to him with her head held high. She was ready to fight.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean Sam, of course I noticed!" Jason took a moment to take in her appearance, her body was tense, her shoulders squared, her head held high, she was strong and ready to take him on but the sadness in his eyes told him otherwise. "Why did you leave last night?" He softened his voice and knew that it threw her off her game.

Sam was ready to argue, she was ready to throw all of his mistakes in his face, but hearing the guilt in his voice and seeing the hurt in his eyes, she sank onto the couch defeated. She was bone tired and she wouldn't be able to keep up with her charade. "I didn't feel like I belonged." She lowered her eyes to the floor, she could see Jason as he moved to sit on the coffee table in front of her.

Jason's heart hurt to hear the defeat and sadness in her voice. He tried to reach for her hand and cringed when she pulled it out of reach. She wasn't ready for him to hold her yet. "Of course you belong, you always belong with me. Why didn't you wait?"

"I did." She looked up into his blue eyes. "I waited but when I thought that you weren't coming back, I just couldn't be there anymore, I left."

"Why? I came back, I came back to be with you, but you weren't there. Your jacket and shoes were gone. I was on my here but when you didn't pick up your phone when I called you, I figured that you wanted to be alone. I was going out of my mind Sam." He reached again for her hand, thankful that she finally let him. "She just had a bad dream, it was really hard on her yesterday…"

"Hard? Hard Jason?" She pulled her hand and stood up abruptly. "How hard was it for her to sit her ass down at the penthouse? How hard was it for her to follow the plan? She messed everything up!"

"No." Jason stood up and shook his head. He backed away to give her enough room so that he wouldn't tower over her. "It was all ready messed up, it was all a setup. The Balkan already knew what we were planning…"

"Come on Jason, that's impossible. They probably figured it out when she left the penthouse!"

"They already knew Sam! Lucky's cover was blown, the Balkan knows that he isn't Ronan. Those guys were heavily armed with guns, grenades, and enough C-4 to blow up the entire warehouse. That was their plan, they were going to surround us and blow it up! We were lucky to get out of there alive!"

"YOU WEREN'T EVEN THERE! You were too busy making sure that Brenda was ok. YOU LEFT ME!" She balled up her fists at her sides, fire was blazing from her eyes. Aidan's words were repeating through her mind.

"NO!" Jason shook his head furiously. "It wasn't like that Sam and you know it."

"DO I?!"

"Brenda's not like you Sam! She can't handle this life!" Jason yelled, not liking where this was heading, she was suddenly doubting him and there love. Had he really messed up that bad?

"Then why is she here? Why the fuck is she shacked up with a mob enforcer? Why is she all over Sonny? He's not some fucking accountant Jason… HE'S THE MOB BOSS! If she can't handle this life then she needs to get her scrawny ass back to Rome!" Wow, that felt good. Sam couldn't remember the last time she was unable to release all her pent up emotions. She felt her tears fall and she wiped at them quickly.

Seeing her tears, Jason felt sick. He lowered his voice and took a breath to remain calm. "She's here because she needs my help. I'm her friend Sam. I can't just turn my back on her." He took a step towards her, his heart clenched when she took one away. He didn't like this distance between them. "As soon as I find the Balkan, she'll be gone, to Sonny's, to Rome, I don't care, but she will be out of my life. We won't let her affect us…"

"Don't you see? She already affects us."

"How?"

She took a deep breath, she knew what was coming, another fight and she prepared herself for it. "What secret are you keeping from me?" Seeing the guilt in his eyes made her heart clench. "I just don't get it, I know she killed his son…. I just don't know why or how. What is the big fucking secret?"

It hurt him to know that he was going to hurt her. It really wasn't a big deal. Brenda had killed the Balkan because he was obsessed with her, but instead of doing the right thing according to Brenda's standards, she had Dante dump the body off somewhere. If anyone found out, she could go to jail for murder and Dante for assisting. He knew he could trust Sam, he trusted her with his life, but he promised that he wouldn't say anything. And the last thing he wanted for Sam to know where Alex's body was hidden, just another reason for the Balkan to come after her. "I'm sorry. I promised not to say anything." He wanted to kill himself the way her face fell. He felt like such a jerk. He hurt her, she would never understand he was trying to protect her and Brenda.

That hurt. She wiped at her tears sniffing as she nodded her head as if in acceptance. "Just like you promised Elizabeth you wouldn't tell me about Jake?"

He was shocked that she brought that up. They had promised to leave the past in the past, not to throw each other's mistakes back in their faces. "Why would you even go there? It's NOT the same and you know it!"

"Of course it's the same! Once again you're keeping a secret from me, a secret that you have with another woman! Don't you get it Jason? I feel like the outsider here, you've built up a wall so high, you and Brenda on one side and me on the other, and no matter how hard I try I can't seem to tear it down! You continually chose her over me!"

"NO! NO! I never meant for you to feel that way, I swear it Sam. It has nothing to do with us! Don't let this affect us, come on, we are stronger than this, better than this. I love you with everything that I have."

"Then tell me the truth."

Dropping his head in defeat, Jason knew that he was going to hurt her, but it wasn't right for her to force the issue. This had nothing to do with them and he was not going to tell her to keep her safe. Why was he so wrong? "I can't."

She was hurt, a direct hit to her heart. He wasn't going to tell her and she had to accept it, but not now. "Then you can go."

"Sam…" He couldn't believe that she was going to kick him out.

"I can't do this today Jason. Last night was intense and I'm dead tired, I can't do this, so please, just go."

Sighing in defeat, Jason realized they weren't going to solve this today. He would go now and call her later. He walked heavily to the door, his heart was breaking that he hurt her, he just wished that she would understand. "I love you Sam." He whispered in her ear, gave a sweet kiss to her cheek and walked out the door.

"I love you too." She answered to no one, to an empty apartment. Why couldn't he just tell her, damn it? What was the big deal? She never kept anything from him… now. She still had her secrets from the past but they weren't going to affect their relationship like this. He knew what him keeping Jake from her had done to them. It broke them apart. So much love and trust was gone between them for so long. They had finally had their love back and now he was willing to do this again, and for what? For Brenda? Ok, yes, she was his friend and they had known each other a long time, but Sam was his girlfriend.

She sat there thinking about all that they had gone through, all the people in their lives. Did Sam keep any secrets from him now? No. Jason had said that it had nothing to do with them. So this secret was just about her. She was his friend and he kept a secret for her.

All of a sudden, Sam was feeling like a complete jerk. So what if he was keeping a secret for Brenda? Sam has some about her family, about Maxie, and Spinelli, that she had promised not to say anything to anyone not even Jason. Because they wouldn't affect her and Jason's relationship. She felt like an ass, like a complete jerk, instead of standing by his side, she yelled at him and threw him out. He was right, they were better than this. Feeling an over whelming urge to apologize. She ran to her room, got dressed and ran out the door.

 ********************************************************

Riding up the elevator at Harbor View Towers, Sam thought about all the events that had been happening for the past week and how they have taken a toll on her and Jason's relationship. Was she pissed off that he was guarding Brenda? No. Was she pissed off that Brenda was living with him? Hell yes. There was a perfectly empty penthouse right across from his, but because she was a complete spoiled brat that did dumb and reckless things, he couldn't keep her out of his sight. Reminds you of a two year old going through their terrible twos. In a way Sam understood, Brenda wasn't capable of protecting herself and who better to do it than the local mob enforcer, oh yeah and her ex husband. Sam cringed at that last thought, she didn't want to think about Jason being married to that super model and do gooder, Courtney was bad enough with her angelic wings and halo, now she had to deal with a freaking model. Oh great. Sam remembered seeing her for the first time, she was really pretty, beautiful silky hair, big dark eyes, and thin, if you like that kind of thing. And while Sam loved to eat cheeseburgers and drink beer, Brenda was into organic everything and plain water. Talk about night and day. Jason had told her repeatedly that he loved her and that he wanted to be with only her. She should be happy, ecstatic even, but hadn't he said that before.

Now shaking THOSE thoughts from her head, she needed to stay on the task at hand: Apologize to Jason. They had gotten into it earlier that day, she fought with him, stupidly accused him of basically being the person he had always been, a protector and a great friend, and she practically through him out of her apartment when Brenda 'Organic' Barrett called with her latest crisis. Even though he was keeping her secret, Sam had some of her own, she now understood. It wasn't fair of her, she had always told him that she would never change him and that's exactly what she was doing. She knew there was nothing going on between Jason and Brenda, she knew that Brenda loved and wanted to be with Sonny, Sam just hated not being a priority, or at least in the top five. Ok, that wasn't fair, since they had gotten back together, she was up there. Sighing heavily, she stepped off the elevator and headed towards Jason's penthouse only to run into Max and Milo, her favorite guards. "Hey guys." She waved smiling up at them. "Is Jason in?"

"Yeah, Mr. M and Miss Barrett are home." Max said as he opened the penthouse door for her. He noticed how her smile faltered and he wanted to fix it. "But Mr. C will be coming over to take Miss Barrett out on date." Her smile was back and Max was happy to see it. He had always cared for Sam, she was the best thing that ever happened to Jason and she was really nice and great to all the employees.

"Thanks Max." She smiled brightly and walked in only to find the first floor completely empty. She figured that with Jason and Brenda in the same room together, there would be a whole lot of screaming and fighting going on, but the only noise she heard was Max shutting the door behind her. Kind of perplexed at the quiet surroundings, Sam decided to head up to the stairs thinking that maybe they were in their own rooms. 'He probably sent her to her room for a time out.' Chuckling to her thought, she called out to him. "Jason…" No answer. Rounding the corner of the hallway, Sam headed to Jason's room feeling a little uneasy. "Jason…" She called again, a sense of worry set in. Normally he would have responded by now.

Coming to a stop at his bedroom door, Sam noticed that it was cracked slightly, which was an odd thing all in itself, Jason was a private person. "Jason?" She called again, feeling a chill run up her spine, she felt it, something bad was about to happen, she accepted it, anticipated it almost but what she found when she took a deep breath and opened the door was completely unexpected….. Jason and Brenda asleep in bed together….. Naked.

The sight before her completely destroyed her, her heart shattered into a million pieces, she couldn't breathe to scream, couldn't breathe to let him know that she was there, her knees suddenly buckled and she stumbled back up against the far wall. OH God! She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent the sob that was about to explode. Jason and Brenda, in his bed, their bed…. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…. She had to get out of there. She couldn't be there a minute longer, she needed to leave, needed to leave to get herself together, she was this close to dropping on the ground and balling her eyes out at the sight before her. Jason, her Jason, the man that she loved more than life itself was in bed naked with another woman. Running down the stairs, Sam was desperate to escape. Throwing open the door, she stumbled her way past a very confused Max and Milo. She ignored them as they called her name, ignored the worry in their voices, she couldn't be here. Passing the elevator, she ran for the stairs, practically flying down them in order to escape this Hell around her.

Needing to catch her breath, she paused and dropped to the step and closed her eyes. Jason was laying on his back, the sheet was covering his lower half, Brenda was topless, laying against him with her head resting on his chest. That was her favorite spot. That was where she always rested her head after a long hot sweaty love making session. That was where she belonged. NOT BRENDA. "NO!" She jumped up and continued her run down the stairs. She had to leave but she didn't want to go home, didn't want to be alone. She threw the side door open and ran out into the night, leaving her car and the man she loved behind.

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Aidan was in bed taking a nap with thoughts of Samantha consuming him whole. He thought of her, breathed her, lived her, she was in his mind, in his blood, she was everything to him. He couldn't escape her. He was giving her time, he knew that she probably was too tired to see him today, so he was going to give her time to let her rest. And when she was ready, he was going to visit her and hopefully talk to her about staying in Port Charles for good, or leaving and taking her with him. She would love England, that's where he would take her, after he visited his mom in Hungary where they would get married. He closed his eyes and thought about their wedding day and wedding night.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted his dreams of her, rolling out of bed, he went to answer the door. It was probably Robin, he hadn't spoken to her in a couple of days and he missed her. Swinging the door open, he was shocked at the sight before him. Samantha. She was here, in his hotel room, Oh God she was breathtaking. But she was sad, tear tracks stained her cheeks, she looked pale and her lips were trembling. "Samantha?"

Sam didn't know why she was here, didn't know why she came, but she didn't want to be alone. Didn't want to go home to her empty apartment while thinking about Jason and Brenda in bed together. NO! She couldn't think about them, she wanted to be here, wanted to be with Aidan. Running up to him, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down and crashed his lips against hers.

He couldn't believe what just happened, couldn't believe that his dreams were suddenly coming true, but he didn't want to take advantage of her, he cared about her too much, he loved her. He pulled back just enough to only break the kiss. "Samantha what's wrong?"

Not ready to face the truth, Sam pulled him down again for another kiss. "Please Aidan, I just want to be with you, please make me forget…"

He didn't like the pleading tone in her voice, didn't like to see the hurt in her eyes. He would do ANYTHING for her, and if this is what she needed than he would give it to her. He encircled his arms around her and pulled her roughly to him, grounding his body against her, letting her feel his hard erection pressed up against her, letting her know how much he wanted her, how much he needed her. Pulling her as he walked towards the bed, Aidan gently laid her down and climbed over her, taking his position between her wide open legs. Today he would have this, he would pour every ounce of love and passion that he felt for her, and he would keep her for the rest of his life. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _Sam pulled him down again for another kiss. "Please Aidan, I just want to be with you, please make me forget…"_

 _He didn't like the pleading tone in her voice, didn't like to see the hurt in her eyes. He would do ANYTHING for her, and if this is what she needed than he would give it to her. He encircled his arms around her and pulled her roughly to him, grounding his body against her, letting her feel his hard erection pressed up against her, letting her know how much he wanted her, how much he needed her. Pulling her as he walked towards the bed, Aidan gently laid her down and climbed over her, taking his position between her wide open legs. Today he would have this, he would pour every ounce of love and passion that he felt for her, and he would keep her for the rest of his life._

 _Aidan pressed her back on the bed, enjoying the feel of her soft lush body beneath his. Slowly, he began undressing her, his strong hands skimmed under the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her body to bare her amazing breasts to his hungry gaze, each inch of skin he bared, he kissed and laved at her with his tongue. He pulled the hem of her shirt over her head and tossed it carelessly off to the side, revealing her creamy heavy mounds that were covered with black silk. His mouth traveled straight to hers, wanting to kiss her again, wanting to taste her, and as he reached behind her to unclasp her bra….._

Knock… Knock… Knock…. Knock… Knock…Knock

Aidan jerked awake at the knocking on the door, pulled viciously and cruelly away from his dream of Samantha. He blinked furiously not believing that it was only a dream, it seemed so real, as if she was here with him. Rage started to blind him, she should've been here with him, after everything that he had set up, she should've have been here by now. Yanking the sheets off of him, he strode to the door, ready to tell the bastard to let him be in peace so that he could get back to his dreams of his Samantha.

Yanking open the door, Aidan was about to tell the person to 'fuck off' when he stopped frozen as a sense of déjà vu assailed him. Samantha. Standing right at his hotel room door, just as she had in his dream. She came to him, needing his comfort, needing him. He could see the tears tracks on her cheeks, her eyes were puffy and red from crying, she was breathing heavy as if she ran to him. "Samantha, what's wrong?" He braced himself for her embrace, braced himself for the kiss that he knew would be coming, except….. it never came.

"I… I had nowhere else to go…" Sam held her hand over her mouth to contain another sob that was threatening to escape as she stepped into his room. "My… my…." She tried to talk through her heavy breathing and sniffles, but she found it difficult. "My family and my…. friends all warned me…. told me… told me that he would just h…hurt me again… and they were right…. Oh God Aidan, they were right…"

Aidan couldn't bear to hear her cry, couldn't bear the tears that fell, he pulled her up against his chest and just waited for the time for her to say that she needed him. "Shhh…. What happened?"

"He…. Jason… he cheated on me… in our bed…. In our fucking bed!" She pulled away from him as she angrily wiped at her eyes, she was sick of crying, she was sick of hurting. "I can't believe he would do this to me." She felt him pull her back so that she could look up into his dark eyes.

"It's ok, Samantha, just let me help you, let me help you forget him…" And then he kissed her. Finally tasted her sweet lips, he couldn't believe it, she was much sweeter than his dreams, so wonderful, so full of life and passion, he couldn't get enough of her. He pulled her against him wanting to feel her full lush breasts pressed against his chest. He was in Heaven to finally have her in his arms.

Sam was in complete shock, she couldn't believe that he kissed her, and for a moment, just a moment she was tempted to let him continue to kiss her, to help her drown out the pain. She could feel his tongue against her lips, but she never opened for him, it just didn't feel right. But when she closed her eyes, she saw Jason's blue ones staring up at her with so much love and compassion.

 _I will always choose you…_

 _I need you, and if I made you feel like I didn't or that you don't matter to me, I'm sorry…_

 _I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, and I always will…_

Pulling away abruptly and ending his assault, Sam could hear Jason's sweet voice ringing in her ears, words that he had said to her throughout the years, all the times that they had together, all the love that they had between them. It didn't feel right, being in Aidan's arms, feeling his lips on hers didn't feel good, it felt wrong. She completely pulled away from him. "I can't… I can do this…. I'm sorry…" She backed away from him towards the door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you Samantha, just let me help you, let me…." Aidan pleaded to her, the desperation coming through his voice, he didn't mean to hurt her, didn't mean to scare her away from him.

"No. I can't Aidan. Even though he cheated on me, I still love him…" She opened the door and stepped out. "I will always love him…." With that, she ran to the elevators, ran away from Aidan. It wasn't right to be here with him, she never wanted this, never wanted his kiss. She would always love Jason, only him, no one was going to replace him in her life, he was engraved in her very soul.

Aidan couldn't believe that she ran away from him, this wasn't supposed to happen, after everything that he had done, she was supposed to come to him for comfort, come to him so that he would help her, come to him because she needed him. He swiped his hands over the table by the door and knocked everything off, crashing them to the floor. But it wasn't enough, he needed more destruction, he needed to relieve the rage that built up and was blinding him, so he set out and destroyed almost every inch of the hotel room. Broken vases, shattered glass, bits and pieces of furniture were scattered all around him. He hurriedly went to the bedroom, packed his clothes and left. He needed to take more drastic measures. Samantha would be his once and for all.

 ******************************************************

Walking along the docks, Sam was trying desperately to block out all the events of the day. Her fight with Jason, kicking Jason out of her apartment, walking in on Jason and Brenda, going to Aidan for… for… she wasn't sure why she went there in the first place. Probably because she knew that no one else would understand, they would all tell her 'I told you so' and she didn't want to hear it. They had all warned her, they had all told her that he would hurt her again, but she didn't believe them. She refused to believe them, her and Jason were not the same people they used to be, they were better, stronger… stronger… SHE was stronger. She was not the same person that she used to be, not the same insecure little girl that had her whole entire world revolved around Jason Morgan. He was not the center of her universe anymore, not the only person that she had…. She had her mother, her sisters, her friends, Maxie, Spinelli, Lucky… she had her job, an apartment she bought on her own, a business that she opened by herself. She was Sam Fucking McCall for crying out loud.

She was nobody's bitch, she was nobody's punching bag and if that bastard thinks that he was just going to disrespect all their years together and cheat on her in THEIR bed, then he had another thing coming. Her anger fueled her, her blood boiled pumping heat and hatred throughout her entire body. She wasn't going to stoop down to his level, wasn't going to seek revenge, she was just going to fuck him up and that nasty bitch too.

Stepping off the elevators again that day on the penthouse floor in Harbor View Towers, Sam had a new purpose and a new outlook on life. She wouldn't be able to get that image of them together out of her mind, she would remember it until her dying day, but she sure as hell was going to shove it down as far as she could into her subconscious. She was here for a reason, for a purpose, she was about to show the new happy couple the rage within her but standing in front of the penthouse door threw her. Seeing Max and Milo give her questioning looks, she tried to smile despite the grief and anger that was warring within her.

"Sam, are you ok?"

She was warmed by the worry in Max's tone, she always cared for him and for his brother too. These were by far her favorite guards, the most loyal and trustworthy people she had ever met. He asked her a question, so instead of lying to him, she told him the truth. "No…" She shook her head and noticed that his face fell with worry, no doubt she had him worried from earlier. "No Max I'm not, but I… I will be." She took a deep breath and opened the door only to stop short. She wondered what she would find, would they be awake by now, or would they still be in bed together, going another round perhaps. She could feel her body trembling, her hands shaking, no matter how strong she wanted to be, the grief was overwhelming her. She turned back to Max needing him for support. "Actually Max, I could use your help. Can you please come up with me to pack up my stuff and help me carry it out of here?" Without answering the hundred questions that she was sure was floating through his confused mind, she turned on her heels and went up the stairs.

"Sam! What do you mean? What happened? Sam? Ms. McCall?" Max followed her up the stairs and straight to Mr. Morgan's room. He had no idea what happened, but he had a feeling that he was about to find out.

"You'll see…" Was all Sam said as she slammed the door wide open.

"What the FUUCCKKK!" Max couldn't believe the scene before him, he scrubbed his hands over his eyes to make sure that he was seeing clearly. Mr. Morgan was in bed with Ms. Barrett. Oh Sonny is going to shit himself when he finds out.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." Not being able to stand the sight before her any longer, and desperately holding onto the tears that were threatening to fall, Sam stormed up to the bed on Jason's side. Her grief and anger were clouding her judgment so much that she didn't even realize that Jason never twitched when she slammed the door open. "JASON! Jason, wake the fuck up!" Sam shouted out as she tried to shake him awake. "JASON!" As she shook him again, it did nothing to wake him. As hard as she shook, as loud as she yelled, nothing.

"Sam?" Max immediately knew something was wrong, especially when Jason slouched down even further as she shook him. "Sam?" He called again to gain her attention, he knew she couldn't see clearly, he could feel the despair coming off of her in waves. "SAM!" He waited until she looked up at him before he continued. "Listen, I don't exactly know what happened here, but Jason has never been this heavy of a sleeper…." He could see what he was saying was finally getting through to her. "Something is wrong." He speared his hands through his hair wondering what had happened to get them into this state. Had someone done this to them? That's impossible, him and Milo were guarding the door all day, no one came or left since last night besides Jason.

"Jason?" Sam tried again with a little bit more compassion that she had felt earlier. The evil was finally clearing away and she could finally see what was before her. "Brenda?" She tried to tap Brenda's arm, getting her to wake up, but nothing. Max was right, something was wrong.

"It looks like they were drugged…"

Max words rang through her ears, drugged, they could have been drugged, all this time that she had accused him of cheating on her, her running to Aidan, Aidan kissing her, seeking comfort in another man's arms, the anger, the grief, and all this time Jason was….. drugged. "Oh God… Oh God…" The tears that she was holding back fell down her cold cheeks. Drugged? Someone had drugged them? "We have to get to get them to a hospital…." She grabbed a hold of the sheets and yanked them off only to find them, not naked like she had originally thought, but half dressed. Both Brenda and Jason had their jeans on. Whoever had done this, had removed their shirts along with Brenda's bra, posed them and covered them half way to make it look like they had slept together.

She looked up at Max to see that he had quickly turned around at Brenda's state of undress. "Max, go downstairs and grab a couple of guys with you so that we can carry them out of here and get them to the hospital." She watched him nod and was about to walk out the door when she stopped him. "Do NOT tell Sonny…" His eyes wide, he nodded understanding their predicament. "Make sure no one says a word…" She looked back down at Jason. "I'll tell him." Max nodded and left to grab his men.

Sam didn't understand who could do this, who would pose them to make it look like they had slept together, and for what purpose. Was it for Sonny to walk in here and kill Jason in a fit of rage? Was it one of his enemies? She wasn't sure what to think but she knew that she had to act fast. Grabbing Jason's shirt off the floor, she ran over to him and pulled it on, she did the same to Brenda. As soon as she made sure they both were fully dressed, Max came running into the bedroom with Milo and Cody behind him. Both of them were completely floored at what they saw. She didn't want to go into the full explanation. "We have to get them to the hospital. Milo, you grab Brenda. You two…" She pointed at Max and Cody, the bigger of the three men. "You guys grab Jason. I'll call the hospital on our way there." She was thankful when they worked quickly without any more questions. She wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind to answer any right now.

Sam rode in the front seat with Max driving, Brenda and Jason were seated in the back with Milo and Cody following them in a separate car. Picking up the phone, Sam made her calls. The first was to Monica, she only hoped she was at the hospital. She let out a sigh of relief when Monica picked up the phone and Sam can hear the hospital noise in the background. "Monica, it's Sam, listen I don't have time to explain but we're on our way to the hospital…. It's Brenda and Jason…. I don't know what happened but we think they were drugged…. We should be there in 10 minutes." By the time she hung up, Sam was trembling, her hands were shaking so bad that she could barely dial the next number. It took all her energy to hold in her sobs. "Sonny, its Sam, listen I need you to meet me in the ER at GH, I don't have time to explain but something happened to Jason and Brenda… someone broke into the penthouse and drugged them…. Look, just meet us there and I'll explain everything." She hung up, not wanting any more questions, she could barely talk. She finally did was she was desperately wanting to do. She put her shaking hands over her face and cried. Every now and then she could feel Max tapping her back in comfort but she couldn't find any, not with Jason's life and health was on the line.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Max was at a loss, he had no idea what to do for her, he knew that she was scared, hell, he was scared too. Both Jason and Brenda were what looked to like they were drugged on his watch, him and Milo were standing out watch the entire time. No one had visited that day, Jason was the only one that had left but came back an hour later, even Spinelli never made it home from being at Maxie's place the night before. Things had been really quiet, now that he thought about it, things had been a little too quiet. Sam's sobs broke through his thoughts and it broke his heart, he really liked her, she was always sweet and nice to him and the rest of the guards, she was like his little sister. And like a little sister, he needed to protect her and help her, he just wished he knew how, he knew that Jason would come out of this alive and well, he just wished that it was soon. Feeling a sense of urgency, Max pressed his foot harder on the accelerator needing to get to the hospital as quick as possible.

Tires squealed as he abruptly stopped at the emergency entrance at GH, he shifted hard to park causing the passengers to jerk forward and shoved his door open. Jumping out of the car, he saw Milo and Cody park next to him and hurry out of their car as well. As soon as the back doors were open, Milo reached in and grabbed Brenda, carrying her as Max and Cody pulled Jason out of the car and ran into the ER, Sam was already ahead of them trying to get help, he just hoped it wasn't too late. If they were indeed drugged, they don't know what they used and how bad it was.

 ******************************************************

Monica waited not so patiently for the group to come running through the emergency doors. She had been on pins and needles ever since she received her call from Sam about her son, the only child that she had left in this world. She loved him, even after everything that happened from his accident, causing him to go from Jason Quartermaine straight A pre med student to Jason Morgan mob enforcer.

Her heart was beating erratically remembering all the times that she had seen her son shot or stabbed, it was never easy, every time she had seen him that way she felt as if she was slowly dying inside, he was her son, it didn't matter that he never came from her womb, he would always be her son. Sam had said that him and Brenda were drugged, so she had all the medical team ready to perform their duties and proper tasks in this situation. The best procedure: take blood samples, indentify the drug and treat it. She just wished that she would be able to stop her hands from shaking long enough to help. Her baby boy needed her.

 ************************************************

"Monica!" Sam called out her name as soon as they barreled into the ER carrying an unconscious Jason and Brenda. She was thankful that the older woman was ready to receive them, having the staff ready and waiting for their arrival, they couldn't afford to lose any more seconds. "I found them in the penthouse this way, we think they were drugged!" Sam answered Monica's unasked question, as she saw Jason's mother look up at her questionably with wide eyes, she could only imagine what this was doing to his mother. She stood back and watched as the nurses wheeled Brenda to one room and Jason into another as his mother rushed behind them shouting out orders and calling for Robin. Sam was glad that Robin was there, she had plenty of knowledge with drugs, being the one to help Jason all those years ago when she first arrived back in town. Looking up, she saw Max, Milo and Cody next to her keeping an eye out. She immediately took charge to guarantee Jason and Brenda's safety. "Milo, Cody, I need you two to guard Brenda. Make sure that no one is allowed in there besides the doctors and nurses. Keep an eye out." They both nodded and turned to the room further down and stood at the doors eyeing everyone that were running in and out of the room, Brenda was in good hands until Sonny arrived.

Looking up at Max, she could see the concern in his eyes, he was worried about Jason no doubt but she could tell that he was also worried about her. "Max, I need you to guard Jason, please…" She whispered out, her voice broken, she could barely keep her emotions in check anymore. She thought that she was depleted, especially from her breakdown in the car on their way over to the hospital, but it wasn't enough. Her eyes were blurry and she could feel the wetness in her cheeks, looking up at the older man she called friend as he extended his arms to her, she didn't wipe away her tears, letting them fall, as she stepped into his embrace and was comforted when his arms circled around her.

Max held her close, doing his best to comfort her as his big rough calloused hands gently petted her soft hair. "It'll be ok. I know Jason, he'll make it through this." He pulled back a little to look down at her as she looked back up at him with sad teary eyes. "You both will." He leaned forward and gave her a quick sisterly kiss on her forward.

Accepting and grateful for Max's comforting arms and words, Sam nodded her head. "I know, I just…. is it so wrong of me to hope that they were drugged…. God Max I can't get that damn image out of my head!... I mean what if….."

"No Sam!" He quickly stopped her thoughts, he wouldn't accept this from her. "No. Jason would never do that to you, he would never willingly go to bed with Brenda or any other, you know this. Come on Sam, you know Jason. Look, I know how bad it looked, hell I could barely believe it myself, almost had a heart attack and still feeling the effects now, but you saw them, they were drugged, no doubt in my mind. Ok?" He knew she was having doubts and he tried his best to stop them. Noticing his other boss run off the elevators, Max gently pulled Sam out of his embrace. "Sonny's here." He nodded to his boss' direction and walked to Jason's room only a few feet away from them.

Sam looked into Jason's room, he was so still, so quiet, almost like he was in a relaxed sleep but she knew that he was in anything but, he was forced into this place, forced into that vulnerable position. He was drugged, she knew it even though she couldn't get the image of the two of them in bed together out of her mind. Turning back as she heard Sonny's name call her, she laid her hand on his arm, preventing him from going into a tirade. "Sonny, you need to calm down."

"What happened? Where's Brenda, where's Jason? What's going on Sam?"

She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke, she could already feel a headache coming on and dealing with an irate Sonny wasn't going to help. "They're both being treated, the doctor's are doing what they can." Taking a deep breath as Sonny turned away from, she pulled him right back. "Look, they're ok, they're safe, and I need to tell you what happened, but I need you to stay calm and listen. Ok?" She continued after he nodded. "I'm just going to tell you from the beginning. Jason and I had an argument earlier and I kicked him out. Don't interrupt…" She held up her hand when she saw that he was going to question her. "I realized that I was wrong and I went to go see Jason to tell him that I was sorry, but when I got to the penthouse, it was really quiet." She took a deep breath again to control her emotions, she could already feel the moisture in her eyes recalling what had happened next. "I went upstairs, I thought that maybe he was in his room. Only when I got there…. I…. I saw Jason and….. I saw Jason and Brenda in bed together." She let out a harsh breath and swallowed her sob. She needed to get through this, Sonny looked wide eyed and murderous and she had to explain. "It's not what you think. I know… believe me I know… so I ran out of there and went…." She stopped, she wasn't about to tell him that she ran to another man. She could feel the guilt crushing her heart like a vice. She waved her hand to dismiss telling him. "Doesn't matter. But I came back and I had Max come with me because I was getting ready to get my stuff and get out of there, but they were in the same position, they hadn't moved and when I went to wake them up, they weren't responding. Max thought they looked drugged and that's why we brought them here." She was thankful to have gotten through the explanation without breaking down once again.

"Were they naked?" Sonny asked, thinking that if Brenda was drugged then someone had touched her. He didn't know what to think about all of this, but he knew for a fact that Jason would never do that to him or to Sam.

This was going to get tricky. "Only the top half." Sam could see the anger build in his eyes. "Whoever did this, took her bra off Sonny and positioned them to look like they were naked. They covered their lower half with a sheet." She knew what he was thinking, the worst thoughts. "I don't think they did anything else, but you might just want to talk to her, see how she feels…" Sam cut off her conversation at seeing Monica rush towards them.

"Sam, Sonny. You were right, they were both drugged. Their tests show traces of Chloroform in their system. There's not much we can do, just wait for the drug's effects to pass. They should be waking up soon." After giving Sam a reassuring and comforting squeeze on her arm, Monica turned and went back to her staff.

Sam was relieved beyond measure, Jason would be ok. Letting out a breath of relief as her emotions were trying to overtake her, she turned to Sonny and turned the conversation. "Do you have any ideas who could have done this?"

Sonny let out a breath of relief as well but the anger only intensified, someone drugged and stripped the love of his life and he was going to kill the bastard that did this to them. "The Balkan."

It would be the most logical answer especially with everything going on, but it didn't sit right with her. "I don't think so Sonny, I mean, think about it, the Balkan's main goal was to get Brenda, if they drugged her than they already had the opportunity to take her. I don't think this was them, I think it maybe someone else, someone who knows you personally to know how you would react. One of your enemies?"

"How do you figure?"

"What if YOU had been the one to walk in on the two of them? What would you have done?" She saw the recognition in his eyes as he nodded. "You would have killed Jason, no questions asked, leaving you out in the open and vulnerable. Now, what if neither one of us saw them, then the guilt would eat both Jason and Brenda alive if they woke up next to each other that way with no memory and no explanation of what happened. They would automatically assume they had done the unthinkable."

"You're right. Listen, I need to go to Brenda, I'll talk to her." He gave her a small hug, hoping to calm her already fried nerves, he could only imagine what she had felt from witnessing this mess from the beginning. "Stay with Jason."

It was coming again, she could feel it, it was building up inside and it needed out desperately, clawing its way up her throat: her sob was threatening but she had to tamp it down, now wasn't the time, she needed a clear head. Taking a deep breath she passed Max with a small smile and went to sit at the chair next to Jason's bed. Picking up his hand, cradling it in her own, she brought it up to her lips and she kissed it, let her lips linger as she brushed them on the back of his knuckles, she couldn't stop the tears from falling once again. "Oh Jason… please wake up… I need you…"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Before he opened his eyes, he knew exactly where he was, God he could smell the stench of a hospital from a mile away and it never got any better. He could hear the beeping of the heart monitor machine next to his ear, annoying the hell out of him, the impossible thin hospital mattress was causing his back to spasm, the anorexic pillow they used was causing his neck to stiffen, his stomach was threatening war on him, he felt like a marching band was playing through his brain, his mouth was dry, he felt sick, but he pushed all those thoughts aside to focus on the small soft hand that was gripped within his own, the small hand that belonged to the woman he loved. "Sam…" He faintly called out as he fluttered his eyes opened. Then confusion hit him. "What happened?"

"Oh… Jason…" She held onto his hand tighter as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She let out a breath of relief at seeing his beautiful blue eyes again. "How are you feeling?" She noticed him trying to sit up but she quickly placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down. "No Jason, you can't get up… I'll explain everything but you need to stay still…. please…" She was thankful that he relented. He sat back and looked up at her, as if he was ready for her to tell him why he was here. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Scrunching up his face in, Jason tried to recall the entire day. "I just remember leaving your place then heading home." He tried to keep the sadness out of his eyes when he recalled their earlier argument, but he knew she saw it, he could see the sadness and guilt in her brown eyes. "I walked into the penthouse and….. that was about it. What happened?"

"You were drugged, you and Brenda…." Taking a deep breath, Sam explained the events that led them up to the hospital. She told him about finding them, not being able to hide the sadness in her tone, he reached for her hand and held on tight as she told him about what the doctors said and about talking to Sonny, she told him everything except…..

"Where did you go after you found us?"

She could hear the guilt in his tone, the sadness pulled at her heart but this was no way his fault. She closed her eyes, she knew this was coming and she wasn't going to lie to him, she wasn't going to hide anything. She tried to build that wall around her heart to prepare her for what was to come. This would end up going two ways: the first, Jason would accept what happened and they would be able to move on from it, or the second, he would hate her for turning to another man.

"No Sam. Don't do that." He knew what she was doing, she was shutting down on him and he wanted to stop it. He had no idea what was going through that little mind of hers but he knew she was trying to protect herself. Didn't she know that he would never do anything to intentionally hurt her? What it must have been like for her to see him and Brenda together? Jason knew, it probably ripped out her heart, he had felt that same way once.

Biting her lip, she blinked away her tears, and gave herself a little shake. God he knew her so well. "I finally understood how you felt… when you saw me and Ric together… I finally understood the pain that you went through, and a… a part of me always wondered why you never broke down that door and stopped us, you know, why if you finally wanted me back why you didn't fight for me… I never understood it, and then maybe if you had, I never would have slept with Ric and we never would've broken up…. I'm not blaming you or anything…. God Jason it was all my fault, I was such a mess….." She let out a deep sigh and sniffled while wiping her tears away before continuing with her thoughts. "But it's over now and we've gotten passed it and we're stronger than ever…. And I finally realized today what you must have felt like…. Like there was no hope, like it was all gone…. Feeling like you lost everything…. And I thought I had…. I thought that I lost you, that I lost it all… So I did the same thing you did… I left, I know this time it was different because I came to you after the fact, but I still left…. I didn't fight for us…"

"Sam…." Jason could feel her anguish and it was ripping at his heart. He remembered what it felt like, seeing her with Ric, he wanted to die, and she was right, he felt like he had lost everything.

"I went to see Aidan…." She whispered, the tears falling from her eyes, watching the overwhelming pain that settled on his face at her admission.

Jason felt like he was punched in the gut, all the air left out of his lungs, his heart stopped and his body ran cold. "Sam, oh baby please….."

"No, no Jason, I didn't sleep with him." She shook her head and reassured him. "I don't even know why I went to him…. I guess I just felt like I had no place to go… I figured that I would be able to talk to him, you know and that he would be objective about it…. I just didn't need my mom or Maxie or anyone else telling me that they were right about you, that you would hurt me again… I didn't want to hear it…. I just… I just didn't want to be alone…." She wiped her tears away and continued. "He kissed me… Aidan kissed me, and for a second, for one split second I wanted him to, I didn't want to feel pain, and I just wanted to hurt you… But I couldn't do it, I thought that you had betrayed me, but I couldn't go through with it, I loved you too much… so I pushed him away… I didn't want to be that person anymore, I didn't want to hurt you or myself…. I couldn't do it….. So I ran….. back to you."

"Oh Sam…" He was angry as hell but not at her, never at her, he knew what she was feeling and he thanked God that she didn't fall into another man's arms even though that bastard was clearly trying to take advantage of her. He reached out to hold her, to touch her hand but she stood up and backed away from him. His heart dropped as she pulled away from him, his own eyes growing misty, he never wanted to be away from her ever again.

"Wait…" She abruptly stood up and backed away from him, she needed to get this out. "I need to finish." When he nodded, only then did she continue as the tears still fell as she pulled herself together and held back her sobs. "I'm sorry…. I'm sorry for the fight we had… I'm sorry for yelling at you….. I'm sorry for accusing you about caring about other people's needs above ours, that was why I fell in love with you in the first place, you don't know how to be selfish, I love everything about you and I never wanted to change that, so I'm sorry…. I'm sorry for yelling about a secret your keeping that had nothing to do with us…. I'm sorry for kicking you out…. And…." By this time she was losing it, her voice was cracking from her sobs, the tears were nonstop, her posture defeated but she had to continue. "And… I'm sorry for running to another man…. I'm sorry…. I'm sorry for not believing in us….." She covered her mouth to muffle her cries and tried to step back when Jason reached for her.

"Don't…. don't Sam…." He tried to reach for her again. "Please baby, come here… please…" His voice cracked and his own tears fell at seeing her in pain, feeling it in his heart and soul. "I need you… please…" He felt her hand in his and he squeezed tight, needing that contact with her. He let out a breath of relief and pulled her to sit down on the bed next to him. "Sam… Look at me…" He lifted her face up with his hand, brushing her hair away, wanting to look into her brown eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for baby… I do…." When she shook her head, he cradled her face in his hand, delighting in the feel of her soft skin. "I'm the one that needs to apologize, I'm the one that brought Brenda into our lives…. And Sam I swear it, I never meant to hurt you intentionally, I was just trying to end this threat so that I could get her out of our lives then spend the rest of mine making it up to you…. I love you Sam…. I fucking LOVE you! Nothing and no one will EVER come ahead of you, and I'm sorry for making you think that you are not a priority to me. You are EVERYTHING to me!" He leaned in, pulling her to him as he gave her a sweet kiss, lingering and enjoying the feel of her soft lips on his. Pulling back, he tried to control his rage, not at her but at Aidan. "I understand why you went to Aidan. I do. I'm not happy that he kissed you…" He couldn't help his hands clenching into tight fists. "But I'm glad, oh baby I'm so glad that you pushed him away and came back to me…." He kissed her again taking the opportunity to force her lips open for his tongue, he could feel their tears mixing together, tasting the saltiness, his heart soared that she was here with him. "Stay with me." He whispered to her as he pulled back and just as she was about to answer, there was a knock at the door, Sonny.

"Hey… I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, I can come back…" Sonny was turning around to leave but Sam's voice stopped him.

"Actually, Sonny you don't have to leave, I should get going…" She stood up, pulling away from Jason's arms as he held on tighter.

"No Sam, please stay…." Jason pleaded then looked around her to his friend. "Sonny can you come back…."

"Jason, I need to go…." She pulled her hand away, giving him a kiss and a reassuring smile. He was so cute when he was needy. She stood between the two men. "Besides I need to talk to Spinelli. I'll get him to check out the security cameras on the building, find out who went in and out, anything suspicious." She looked between the two, Sonny nodded in agreement, but Jason was a little hesitant but he had finally agreed.

"Good, good… Let me know if you find anything." Sonny told her.

"Of course, I'll call as soon as I find anything. I hope Brenda's ok." She was glad to see him nod, Brenda was ok and so was Jason. Walking over to Jason, she bent down and gave him another quick kiss, wanting to be in this moment forever. She was thankful that they were able to get everything out in the open. "I'll see you at the penthouse."

"Sooner than you think." He assured her, he wasn't about to stay a minute longer in the hospital. "I love you."

Smiling and knowing not to argue with him about his care, she nodded. "I love you too." She walked out with a last bright smile.

Watching her walk away from him was something Jason would never get used to, it was always hard. Was it so wrong to have her chained to his side? Looking up at Sonny, Jason could see his worry. "Is Brenda ok?"

"Yeah." Sonny nodded. "She's just shaken up. We need to find who did this? They touched her Jason, they fucking stripped her down. Sam thinks it's one of our enemies." Sonny couldn't hide his anger.

"And you don't? You think it's the Balkan? I think I'm going to have to agree with Sam, they already had a chance to get her, why set us up like that. All they wanted was her, why pose us for you to find us? At least one of our enemies would've set it up so that you would kill me for the betrayal. Unless….." Jason had another thought, and it disturbed him. "Unless it wasn't about you…"

"What do you mean?"

"What if this was about Sam? What if this whole thing was set up so that Sam would find us? Oh fuck Sonny, he got exactly what he wanted…. well almost…"

"What the hell are you talking about Jason? Who set this up?"

"Aidan. I bet it was him, I bet he set this up, I bet he set it up just like how it turned out. But it didn't work, did it?… he thought that he was going to get Sam but it didn't work…" Jason's monitors were signaling his agitation.

"Jason man, I think you need to calm down."

"She saw us, she saw us and then she ran to him. He kissed her! That BASTARD put his hands on her but she pushed him away. Bet he didn't count on that, did he? She chose me! She will always choose me!"

"Who?"

"AIDAN!"

"Ok, ok, listen you need to stop. I'm not sure what Robin's cousin has to do with any of this but you need to calm down. We need to figure how they got in the penthouse in the first place? The guards are crawling all over the lobby…"

Jason thought hard, Sonny was right, whether it was Aidan or the Balkan or some other enemy, they had to find out how they got into his home. It's virtually impenetrable, like a stone fortress, no one has ever broken in, no one except….. "Manny." He breathed out like fire.

"Manny? Jason, what does he have to do with this? Manny is dead."

"He was the only one that had ever broken in, remember? It was right after we came back from Hawaii, after I killed Javier, Manny was coming after Sam. The son of a bitch broke in through my balcony, in our bedroom." He clenched his fists white, so tight from the anger, then it came to him. "Oh shit…" He sprang up, ignoring the dizziness as he pulled the wiresroughly from his body. "I have to get out of here! What if he's still there? What if he's still in the penthouse, and Sam is there." He glad that he was still dressed, he grabbed his boots and was putting them on when Robin came in the room.

"Jason, you have to get back in bed…."

He quickly cut her off. "Robin, I need to get out of here, Sam could be in trouble and whether you like it or not, I'm leaving…" He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door with Sonny in tow giving the guards directions to get Brenda back to Greystone. Jason didn't care, he had only one destination in mind. Get to Sam.

 *********************************************

Sam walked into the unguarded penthouse, both Max and Milo were in the hospital guarding Brenda and Jason, but Spinelli should be here by now. "Spinelli!" She called as she set her laptop down on the coffee table just in time to see Spinelli running down the stairs.

"Fair Samantha! The Jackal is always pleased to see you but is wondering what happened to the rest of the occupants."

"A lot has happened since you went to Maxie's. I don't have time to explain just yet, but we need to get to work. Jason and Brenda were drugged here in the penthouse and we need to find out who has been here." She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the desk where his laptop was sitting. "I need you to set this up to see the security cameras in the lobby. You need to keep an eye open for anything or anyone suspicious." She turned to the coffee table and grabbed her own, bringing it to him. On her way to the penthouse she thought about another way they could get in, the same way that Manny used. "I need you to set this one up so that it can get any cameras that would be facing the east side of the building, facing the bedroom balcony this high up."

"Stone Cold? The Divine One?" He whispered in horror. Surely not his master?

Normally Sam would get annoyed at the nick name that he had come up for Brenda, but she knew that Spinelli was just worried about his new friend and Mentor. "They're both fine, but we need to find the people who did this to them. Ok?"

"Right away." He started typing, first setting up one laptop then the other.

"So how does this thing work?" He set hers in front of her on the coffee table. Hers would be the one facing the balcony. She heard her phone ring, pulling it out she saw Aidan's number. Feeling the guilt creep back in, she ignored the call and placed her phone back in her pocket.

"You press the arrow button to fast forward and when you want it to play normal, you let the button go. Click on the picture when you want it to stop." He gave her the instructions in plain English, then went to sit at the desk to look at the cameras facing the lobby.

They had only been working for about ten minutes when Spinelli spoke up. The kid had the attention span of a gnat. "The Jackal needs some nourishment." He stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Can the Jackal get Fair Samantha anything?"

"No thanks Spinelli." She wasn't hungry, she probably wouldn't have an appetite until the person who did this was caught. Hearing a knock on the door, Sam sighed and stood up to answer it, leaving the laptop to play on its own. "Aidan."

Aidan had been in his car, parked across the building, waiting for her to get here. He thought that she would've gone home but she had never shown up, and now she was back here, back to the place that she had once shared with Morgan. Aidan used every ounce of control he had to keep his anger buried down deep. "May I come in?"

Sam was hesitant at first, she didn't have the time to deal with this especially since they were trying to find the enemy, but she felt guilty for using him earlier. "Sure." She held the door open, waited for him to pass then closed it behind her. She gave a quick look towards the kitchen, Spinelli was still in there. She waited for him to turn around. "Look Aidan, I'm really sorry about earlier…"

"There's no need to apologize…"

"Yes there is, I never should've come to you." She could see the sadness in his eyes and it just made her feel worse. "I'm sorry."

"Samantha, you just found out that Morgan cheated on you, of course you'd be upset."

"But he didn't." She didn't want to tell him the whole story so she made it short. "Turns out that he was drugged…." She could see the skepticism in his face. "I know, believe me I know it sounds crazy but in my world it's anything but." She shrugged, offering up some humor.

"Is he alright?" He choked out, not really caring about the other man, but he felt he had to fake sympathy. "And Brenda?"

She was about to answer but stopped for a second. "How did you know it was Brenda?"

"I… I just assumed." He could see her wheels turning, she was thinking about his answer, so he quickly changed the subject. "I tried calling you."

She wasn't sure but something was off, something was bothering her, it just didn't feel right. Her eyes kept on going back down to the laptop sitting on the table then up at him again as she thought about his answers. "That's another thing Aidan…" She looked up at him. "I thought you said that you lost your phone when we were stuck in the tunnel." She looked down at the screen again, she felt bad for accusing him of dishonesty. "I guess you probably just found it or…" Her voice suddenly trailed off at the image on the screen. There, right in front of her eyes, she found out who the person that broke into the penthouse was. She couldn't hide the wide eyed look or the way she breathed out. "Oh my God…."

Aidan knew it, from the first second that her voice trailed off. Reaching behind him, he pulled out the vial of chloroform and a white rag. He took advantage of her distraction as he began dousing the rag with a generous amount of the drug. When she finally looked up at him with incredibly wide and hurt eyes, she started to scream "SPINEL….." But he was faster, as he pounced on her and covered her mouth and nose with the rag, pulling her body to him. "I'm sorry Samantha, please forgive me…." He held her tight as she struggled against him, no doubt holding her breath. Her legs flailed around him, knocking over the laptop that was on the table. He could here movement in the kitchen and knew he had to get out of there. Without a moment to lose, he picked Sam up in his arms and walked out the door.

Spinelli heard a commotion in the living room and went to investigate as soon as he was done making his meal. Returning to the other room with an orange soda in one hand and a sandwich in the other, he looked around for his partner in crime, noticing that she was missing. "Fair Samantha?" He looked around, she was just here, and he could've sworn that he heard her talking to someone. "Fair Samantha?" He walked in further just as Jason came barreling through the door with Sonny behind him.

Jason ran into his penthouse, he had a bad feeling the entire drive over, something wasn't right, he could feel it: Sam was in trouble. He was hoping to be wrong, hoping to see her sitting on the couch in his penthouse, to see her sweet smiling face, but when he ran in to hear Spinelli calling out for her, he wanted to roar out in rage. "Where's Sam?" He demanded as he looked around the room, the pillows were knocked in an untidy manner and the laptop was on the floor, it didn't look like much but it was enough. "WHERE THE HELL IS SAM?!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 _"_ _Where's Sam?" He demanded as he looked around the room, the pillows were knocked in an untidy manner and the laptop was on the floor, it didn't look like much but it was enough. "WHERE THE HELL IS SAM?!"_

"I…. I don't know." Spinelli looked around the room, missing the frantic look in Jason's eyes but noticed the laptop lying carelessly on the floor. Tossing his sandwich and drink on the table behind the couch, he practically sprinted for the shiny toy that was in Fair Samantha's care. Picking it up from the ground, he dusted and petted the machine then carefully placed it on the coffee table not even registering that Jason was running through the penthouse in a panic.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'? Where is she? What were you guys doing? Did she say she was going anywhere?" Jason wasn't sure what to think, he had a bad feeling since she had left him in the hospital and now he knew that something bad happened to Sam. He could feel it.

"I…. I'm not sure….. I was in the kitchen preparing my meal while Fair Samantha was looking at video footage to find out who wounded Stone Cold and the Divine One… I… I thought I heard voices but when I came out here… no one was here, not even Fair Samantha."

"What were you looking at? Show me!" Jason demanded, maybe she had found something, maybe she found a clue. But she wouldn't go without him to face the threat… Would she? Of course she would! Especially if he was in the hospital. Damn it! He never should have let her leave his sight.

Following Spinelli, Jason went over to the desk, on his laptop was the picture of the lobby and the back doors. There were too many people going in and out, too many guards, the guy would have gone a different way. "Show me what Sam was looking at?" He demanded again thinking about the way Manny got in, as he strode to the machine sitting on the coffee table. Before sitting down, he saw a glimpse of white beneath his black boots, whatever it was, was half way under the couch. He bent over picking up the white rag, a distinct odor coming off of it, he had an idea what it was and it made his chest tighten at the thought, but hearing Spinelli whisper out despairingly "Oh no…" his worst fears became reality. His eyes immediately darted to the computer, and he couldn't control the rage that was blinding him. "That **SON OF A BITCH**!" He bellowed out at seeing the screen frozen, probably from when the laptop fell during an obvious struggle, none other than Aidan Devane climbing down from the penthouse roof and into his balcony. That was the bastard that drugged him and Brenda, posed us to look like we slept together and sat back and waited for Sam to come running to him. Turning to the mantle, he roared. " **BASTARD**!" as he swiped all the contains in his fit of rage, sending picture frames and vases crashing to the floor.

"Jason! You need to control yourself, man!" Sonny knew what his friend was feeling, the same as he had when Sam had told him earlier about what had happened to Brenda. But he never expected Aidan, Robin's cousin, to do this. Looking down at the screen he noticed that Spinelli was frantically typing away at the computer until another image popped up. " **JASON**! You gotta see this!"

He had Sam. Aidan had Sam and Jason was aching to get his hands on him. He could literally feel his chest compress tight as his eyes moved down to look at the screen before him. He could feel the ice seep in his blood stream, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, he could smell the odor of chloroform coming off of the rag fisted in his shaking hands making him feel sick as he stared at the image of Aidan caring Sam out the back door of the building after distracting the guards. His heart demanding he get her back but his soul demanded blood and retribution. Grabbing the coffee table with both hands, he lifted it up and flung it upside down, crashing it and all its contents to the floor. He ran to the closet and grabbed his gun from the box. "Spinelli, he's staying at the Metro Court. Call me with a room number!" Without a glance back, Jason bolted out the door with Sonny on his heels wanting a little revenge of his own.

Forgetting the fallen laptop on the floor, Spinelli stumbled over to the desk. His emotions were on high, fear and guilt warring within him, he was afraid for his partner and he felt a deep guilt set in that if he had gotten to her in the first place, none of this would have happened. Typing furiously, Spinelli vowed that he would help Stone Cold find Fair Samantha, and make it up to her somehow. He just hoped that it wasn't too late.

 ***********************************************

Aidan couldn't help but glance at the rearview mirror every few seconds, having adjusted it to reflect the image of the sleeping beauty that was in his back seat. He still couldn't believe that he had her, that she was finally with him. He originally went over to the penthouse to apologize to her, to maybe soften her up towards him, to see that she needed him now more than ever and that the enforcer was only going to hurt her once again. What he didn't count on, was for her to find out that he was the one that drugged Morgan, that he was the one that broke in to set everything in motion. That was his first mistake. His Samantha was not only beautiful beyond measure but she was also a smart, clever little lass. She was everything that he had ever dreamed about, not even Greenlee or Kendall could dare stand to be in comparison. Samantha was in a league all on her own, and she was finally, FINALLY with him.

His focus was too much on the woman in the backseat, so much that he failed to see a black heavily tinted SUV come up to his rear, another to his right, another to his left. When he finally looked up to the road, he slammed on his breaks as another SUV was stopped in the road ahead of him. Looking left and right, then back, Aidan cursed to himself for not paying attention. Four dark and dangerous looking SUV's had boxed him in, effectively surrounding him. It wasn't until two big men carrying guns that stepped out of each truck, total of eight men all together, too many for him to take down and at the same time making sure that Samantha was safe.

"Step out of the car!"

Aidan looked up to see a man waving his gun as he motioned for him to exit the car. Reluctantly he agreed after weighing his options, he came out the loser each time. If he made a run for it, they would have Samantha, and Aidan would be damned if they took her away from him. She was HIS! Opening the door slowly, Aidan stood up as he raised his arms in the air. "What the hell is the meaning of all this?"

"The Balkan wants a word with you." The same man looked to his men and signaled them over. Four men came up to Aidan, turned him around and made him place his hands on the hood of his car as they searched him and stripped him of his weapons and cell phone. That hadn't bothered him so much, but what made him struggle against the binds they were placing on him, when two other men opened the back seat and gently removed his Samantha.

" **NO! LEAVE HER ALONE**!" He struggled with all of his might but it was no use, they had already bound him and were placing him in the car. "What do you want from her? Your quarrel is with me! LET HER GO!" He watched in horror, sandwiched between two men with guns, as the man outside climbed into another SUV with Samantha cradled in his arms.

The guy turned around. "The boss would like a word with both of you." He flashed a set of pearly whites. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride." He laughed as he turned back around as they pulled out.

Aidan's eyes were glued on the SUV ahead of them, Samantha was in there, in another man's arms, asleep and helpless. His heart ached at the thought, no one should be touching her but him, she belonged to him, in his arms. Taking a deep breath, Aidan knew that he had to play it cool. This wasn't the first time he was taken into enemy territory. His Special Ops training were coming back to him. He was going to get them out of this, and then they would be free.

 *********************************************

Jason stood back after yanking out the last drawer of the dresser, cursing profusely as it slid out easily because it was empty. Every drawer was empty, the closet was empty, every single shred of existence of Aidan Devane was gone. Not even a note littered the trash…. Nothing. When they had first arrived, he had called his men earlier, met up with Cody, Max and Milo, and couple from their own cleaning crew to tear this place apart. He wasn't stupid, he knew that Aidan would never bring Sam back here, not if he wanted to stay alive. Jason had his men search every inch of the already trashed room for any clues to help him find out where Devane may have taken Sam. So far… nothing.

Hearing his phone ring, Jason answered Spinelli's call. "Please tell me you found something."

"I'm sorry Stone Cold, the Jackal is most distressed to inform you that I haven't been able to find anything. The car they were in was driving north, and then it just disappeared. A few of the street cameras were unplugged due to construction and some others weren't in working order. I'm sorry Sto….."

"Try harder!" Jason interrupted, not really wanting to hear the kid's apology or excuses. "And I want you to dig up EVERYTHING you can find on Aidan Devane, including the time he was in Special Ops and even his family, ALL OF THEM! I don't care what you have to do to get this info Spinelli, I want it done, NOW!" He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He turned to Sonny, seeing the question in the man's eyes, Jason answered as he shook his head. He was thankful when the other man didn't push him to say more. Turning back to work, to keep his hands busy from breaking anything he can see, he went to search in the closet for any scrap of evidence as his men searched the bathroom and desk with a fine tooth comb. He was desperate to find something, anything that can get him one step closer to Sam.

 **************************************************

For the past 20 minutes, Aidan was gagged and bound to a steel chair in a dark office. When the SUVs came to a halt, he was forced from the truck, led into this dark office and was forced to sit here and wait for their employer, whoever this Balkan person was, to arrive. He had been worried sick about Samantha. He had watched with fury as they had extracted her carefully out from the SUV and taken further away from him to another room. He had no idea where they were and his worry had turned to anger just thinking about what they were doing to her. It was his fault that she was unconscious, she couldn't even defend herself. But that was what he was for. He just needed to get out of this mess. He worked frantically at the ties around his wrists when the door opened, he stopped immediately and looked up to see a big bald man in an expensive suit heading towards the massive desk in front of him.

"Mr. Devane, thank you kindly for doing my dirty work for me. I'm so glad that you could join us."

"I presume you're the Balkan. What do you want from us?"

"Oh not you my boy, it's what I want from her?" Picking up the phone, he dialed a number and spoke in a foreign language, calling for his guard. "Now, what am I going to do with you?"

"Look, just let us go… or… or let her go and I'll help you. You want Ms. Barrett right? Fine. I've gotten to her once, I can do it again. Just let Samantha go." Aidan pleaded with the man.

"I'll let her go as soon as Morgan brings me Ms. Barrett, if not, then he can just goodbye to his little girlfriend." The Balkan looked up just as his office door opened, entering the guard he had just called for. "Andre, take Mr. Devane to Ms. McCall's room, and prepare her for our trip." Picking up the phone that was found on Ms. McCall as soon as his guard exited with Devane, he searched her call log and redialed a number.

 ********************************************

After what seemed an endless search, Jason and his crew found nothing, nothing that could help him find out where Aidan was taking Sam. The only clue Spinelli gave him was that they were heading north, but that was no help either. He could be anywhere right now and the bastard had Sam. Hearing his phone ring, he hoped it was Spinelli, but the caller ID gave him an immense amount of hope. "SAM!"

"Mr. Morgan, it's about time we had a little chat."

Jason pulled the phone from his ear and looked at the caller ID again, completely confused why it would say Sam's name, unless… his blood ran cold with the next words.

"Did you lose something Mr. Morgan? I must say that I was in complete shock when I find out that someone else had the same idea as I did."

"What the hell have you done with Sam?!" Jason growled out as he paced back and forth the Metro Court room, suddenly the space was too tight for him. He raked his hands through his hair with agitation. "Was Devane working for you?"

"I'm afraid not. I just acquired his services a few moments ago when we followed him from your building carrying an unconscious Ms. McCall. She's quite beautiful, but I'm sure you already know that."

"What do you want?" Jason was prepared to give him anything for Sam's safe return in his arms, even if it meant giving up his own life.

"Meet me at the private airstrip in exactly one hour, and bring Ms. Barrett with you. It's simple Mr. Morgan, I get Brenda and you get Samantha back. One hour." He stressed then hung up.

Jason was ready to toss the phone across the room, but he couldn't, that was his only link to Sam. Looking up at Sonny, Jason already knew what the answer was going to be, because if it was reversed, there was no in hell he would give up Sam so Sonny could have Brenda. He repeated the conversation to the other men in the room, Sonny was already shaking his head and Jason was losing all hope. He understood how Sonny felt, hated it with every fiber in his being, but he understood.

"I have an idea…" Max spoke up through the silence. He wasn't happy at all with the way things were turning out, not happy at all to hear that Sam was kidnapped first by this Aidan guy and now by the Balkan. He knew what Brenda meant to Sonny, but Sam meant so much more to him and the rest of the guys including Jason. When all eyes turned to him, he spoke up. "I say we send a team in there now. Set up snipers on the surrounding buildings, get them ready. We can have Ms. Barrett with us and when the exchange is to be made, we come out. First protect the girls, then take the Balkan down. We can have Dante and Lucky there to make sure that our bases are covered." Seeing the hesitation in his boss' eyes and desperation in Jason's, Max pressed on. "Come on Mr. C, you know I'm an excellent shot with the sniper. I'll take the Balkan out myself personally before he can get to Ms. Barrett." He looked back and forth between the two men. "We have to help Ms. McCall."

Jason could barely hold on to his emotions, Max, his employee was fighting for him, was fighting for Sam and Jason couldn't have been more grateful. Seeing the rest of the men nod and stand by him, Jason finally had a sense of hope that he was going to get Sam back.

 ********************************************

Seeing Samantha lying there so peaceful, Aidan was awestruck once again with her beauty. She was sleeping, it didn't matter that it was a drug induced sleep, he was just thankful that she had no idea what was happening around them. Thinking up a quick plan to get them out of there, a soft voice broke through his thoughts. "Mmmm…" Came a soft gentle moan, it flowed over his skin like a warm breeze, warming him up heating him from the inside out. He bent down and gently petted her hair as he kissed her warm soft cheek. "Shh…. Just sleep Samantha, I'll get us out of here."

Standing up, he went to the door and began to pound. "HELP! THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH HER! SHE'S NOT BREATHING!" He stood back, behind the door and prepared himself as the door suddenly swung open and a guard came rushing through. Raising his arm up, using the training they beat into him at Special Ops, he clenched his fist and smashed it to the back of the guys head, effectively knocking him out. Grabbing the fallen guard's gun and cell phone, he scooped Samantha up in his eager arms again and ran out the door.

After hot wiring one of the SUVs, Aidan hit the gas and drove them out of the Balkan's lair. He adjusted the rear view mirror again, his eyes going back and forth to watch the road ahead and to watch his lovely Samantha sleeping. The drug in her system should be wearing off soon. He needed to get to his car and get to his supply, she needed a much stronger dose. Hearing a cell phone break the silence, Aidan pulled it out of his pocket, it was the phone that he swiped from the guard. Assuming that it was the Balkan, Aidan pulled over next to a busy coffee shop to answer. "Pizza, pizza." He was a smart ass, he could admit to that.

"I'm not very amused Mr. Devane."

Aidan smiled, relishing in the fact that the older man was annoyed. "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn! Look, I have no illusions on what you do and how much power you have and honestly I don't feel like looking over my shoulder ever minute to see when you'd be coming for me, I already have Morgan filling up that slot. Now, I have an idea where we can both get what we want." He said just as he caught the sight of a petit brunette smiling at him. He loved brunettes.

"Alright, I'm listening."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

He was scared as Hell, an emotion that was new to him until he met and fell in love with Sam McCall. Of all the years he worked for Sonny, the only time he has felt true fear was when the danger had involved Sam. He knew that she was tough, knew that she could handle herself but some things were out of her control, some things always have a way of going wrong. That's where he usually came in, to try to prevent that from happening. He made sure to step in when Sam needed his help and sometimes when she didn't need it, those times were when he made decisions for her, but he always had one sole purpose in mind, no matter his mistakes, he just wanted to keep her safe. He would feel guilty when the situation usually revolved around his lifestyle and the choices he made, when his enemies wanted to hurt him by using her.

Now was one of those times. Sam was in trouble because of him, well mostly because of his ex-wife. It may not have started that way because Aidan had kidnapped her first because of his sick obsession with her, but she landed in the Balkan's hands because of his and Brenda's choices. He had to fix that now no matter what it took.

Jason stood outside in front of his SUV alongside Dante, Lucky, Milo and Cody, Sonny was in the truck with Brenda, Max and all his other men were covertly scattered everywhere standing by with snipers. They had the plane and the entire place surrounded, all guns were locked and loaded, he only had to give them the single to take out the Balkan and all his men, if necessary, blow the plane. They had been standing there for five minutes before a limo and three dark tinted black SUVs pulled up, a minute after that another black SUV came into view but it was parked further back from the rest. Jason watched with clenched fists as armed guards filed out of the trucks carrying bags and loading them into the plane. Then one guard opened the back door to the limo, Theo Hoffman was the…. Balkan? Jason looked back to see Sonny emerge from the SUV, keeping Brenda in the limo and under tight watch until the last minute, the shock on his friend's face was mirrored in his own. While Sonny kept his glare on the man that wanted to get revenge on the woman he loved, Jason looked over at Dante, he could tell he was in the same state of shock as the rest of them. Theo Hoffman was supposed to be representing them in the latest self-defense shooting, no one knew that they were all dealing with the Balkan this entire time.

Not being able to wait anymore, desperately wanting to get Sam back, Jason broke the silence. "Where's Sam?!" He questioned the man standing directly in front of the plane steps along with his men flanking him. No doubt he was prepared to grab Brenda and make a run for it, but Jason had the element of surprise for them, Jason's men were ready to take him down, but first he needed to get Sam.

"She's here." Theo gestured to the SUV that was parked off to the side. With a wave of the older man's hand, the door of the driver's side opened.

Jason seethed and growled low in his throat at seeing Aidan Devane step out and walk to the back, open the door, and pull out a small petite brunette. Jason's entire body stiffened when he saw Sam. Her hands were bound with rope and a sack covered her head, no doubt diminishing her chances for escape, other than that she seemed to look inharmed. His fists tightened as he watched Aidan pull Sam by the arm closer to the Balkan. For a second Jason let himself picture his hands clenched around the bastard's throat as he killed him, slowly. "LET HER GO!" His emotions took over as he roared out the demand.

"I held up my end of the bargain Mr. Morgan, it's time for you to hold yours!"

Jason turned his gaze to Sonny, watched and waited for what seemed like forever as Sonny thought about what was going to happen. Giving a quick nod in comply, Sonny opened the back door to let Brenda out and held on to her tight. Jason could tell how this was affecting her, she was visibly shaken.

"Send Ms. Barrett over, and I shall send Ms. McCall." Theo requested, his dark eyes full of promises of retribution, were narrowing on Brenda.

"At the same time!" Jason came back with his own request, this was going to be done his way. They had everything set up, everyone was in place and ready when he gave the signal, he would unleash his men all over the Balkan and his men. He would deal with Aidan one on one. Brenda knew the plan as well, all she had to do was duck and run for cover, he knew that Sam would trust him enough to do the same so that she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire, he would shield her with his own body if he had to.

Slowly, Sonny let Brenda go after kissing her head to soothe her, Jason could hear the other man's words of love being whispered into her ear, same words of love that he had spoken to Sam nights ago. After a few more moments, Sonny released Brenda and she took slow and measured steps towards the Balkan.  
Aidan had stood back and waited for Brenda to make the first step before releasing the woman in his arms. Lifting the sack just below the duct tape line that covered her mouth, Aidan placed a lingering kiss to her neck, while keeping his eyes on Jason's murderous ones, he whispered in her ear. "Just walk straight ahead, slowly, and you'll be free my love." He then stepped back and let her go. It seemed like it took a minute for the words to register as she finally took a careful step forward. He knew she wasn't able to see clearly, but it didn't matter, he had a plan and he hoped that it would work. Him and Samantha would soon be free to be together.

Jason had to keep himself still, had to hold back with every ounce of control that he had. His entire body was stiff, his fists clenched, his jaw tight with tension, his primal instincts were screaming to protect what was his. His eyes glued to the woman that he loved more than anything walking slow steps towards him. His body was trembling with anticipation to hold her, his hands aching to touch her, he needed her like he needed his next breath. She was his life and he was finally going to get her back.

Sonny was on edge, nervous, anxious, scared, and twitchy like a drug addict desperately wanting his next fix of crack. Brenda meant everything to him and he was losing his cool by watching her walk towards their enemy, towards danger. He couldn't let anything happen to her, he had waited too long for her to finally admit that she loved him and wanted to be with him, they were going to get married, finally after all these years they were going to be husband and wife. Jason's plan was that both women reach half way and then he would through up the signal so that his men would take down the Balkan, but he couldn't wait any longer, he knew it was too soon, they were only ten feet away with over 40 more feet to go. He had to get her back, had to protect her, he couldn't give the Balkan a chance to get to her. Bailing on their plan, Sonny lunged for Brenda.

Jason yelled out to his friend when he saw him lunge to grab a hold of Brenda and bring her down. "Sonny! NO!" It was too soon, Sam was too far away from him. Without a second thought, Jason lunged and ran the distance to grab her but it was too late. All Hell broke loose around them. Both sides ran for cover, both sides firing. "SAM! GET DOWN!" Bullets were flying by within inches of his head, he had to get to cover but he needed to reach Sam first. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement, turning his head, Jason saw Aidan jumping into the SUV and pull out. He made a vow that he would find him later and kill him.

"GRAB SAMANTHA!" The Balkan yelled out as he ran up the steps to the plane, the rest of his men filing behind him as the others covered for them. One by one they were going down from the snipers that were hidden on the rough tops from the surrounding buildings.

Before Jason could get to Sam, he fired out a few shots at a couple of guys that were trying to grab her. He couldn't let them get….. his heart stopped as one of the men succeeded in grabbing her, picking her up and ran for the plane. "NOOO!" He roared out, pulled out both guns and ran as he fired at the other guards surrounding the plane, taking extra care not to fire at the one holding Sam. "STOP FIRING!" He yelled out to his men behind him, he couldn't risk them hitting Sam. He ran with all his might, but it was too late, the man carrying Sam had already stepped on the plane and it was making its way down the run way. "DAMMITTT!" He couldn't believe it, he was so close, and now he lost her. Jason turned behind him to hear his name being called. "Look man, I'm sorry, I just couldn't hold back anymore…."

Without hesitating, Jason grabbed the front of Sonny's shirt. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT SONNY! WE ALMOST HAD HER! YOU FUCKED IT UP!"

"I KNOW!" Sonny tried to release Jason's grip but the younger man was too strong. "I'M SORRY! Look, I swear to you we'll get her back ok, I'll put all my men on them, I just couldn't do it Jason, you've got to understand, I couldn't risk Brenda getting hurt!"

Jason immediately dropped him, this sucked, but he had to admit he did understand. Jason was never too thrilled about getting Sam involved in the first place, that's why he had kept things away from her, he didn't want to risk her getting hurt. He looked around him, his men along with Lucky and Dante were by his side. Fortunately they didn't have any casualties, only a few grazes, but the Balkan's men weren't that lucky. Looking up at the plane now a couple of hundred feet in the air and still climbing, Jason felt a sort of unease, something wasn't right, the hairs on his neck suddenly stood up on end, something was happening.

They saw the bright light before they heard it, **BOOOMMM!** They saw the plane explode into a ball of fire before they were all knocked off their feet from the momentum of the blast. The thunderous sound was so loud that it shattered the windows of the airport, the cars and all the surrounding buildings. Dragging himself up, Jason watched in horror and dread as the plane that Sam was in was engulfed by blazing yellow and orange flames as it plummeted to the ground.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

He could hear the sirens from the ambulances around him, he could hear the sirens from the fire truck as it blazed by them and headed for the wreckage, he could hear Sonny comfort Brenda as she sobbed, he could hear a firearm talk low enough for only Lucky and Dante to hear, but he couldn't see any of it, he couldn't see what was all around him, couldn't see the what was happening, all he could see was the fire, a sea of orange and red as it battled with the cool water being sprayed, and Sam was lost in that battle, she was lost to that orange blazing sea. He didn't want to believe, he didn't want to believe that Sam was in that plane, but he saw it with his own eyes, saw how she was dragged and carried away from him into the plane, and he was helpless to stand back and watch as the plane took off down the runway, into the skies where it exploded. He didn't want to believe it but he had no choice but to accept it.

There was something burning in his heart, spreading and burning like the fire from the wreckage. It engulfed his body and his mind, taking over him, burning him alive, the same fire that burned the love of his life. As hard he tried, he couldn't put the fire out, couldn't fight the source, feeling as if it came from the depths of the pits from Hell. It wasn't burning his flesh, it wasn't eating away at his skin, it was consuming his heart and destroyed him. Grief. Today was the day that Jason Morgan lost his soul.

He stood paralyzed at the scene before him, and no matter how many times his mind screamed for his body to move, to run, his legs weren't cooperating. He was frozen in place, like a marble statue, seeing as the people moved around him, every now and then he would hear them talk to him, hear them whisper condolences, whisper words of sorrow and sadness, about how they will be there for him, about how sorry they are, and that only added more to his grief. He watched as the flames were put out, what was once a bright orange and red blaze was now reduced to nothing more than black smoke and ash. If it wasn't for him standing upright and breathing, he would think that he was dead… he felt dead. He felt empty, like something was missing, oh that's right, it was his soul.

He stood back and watched as firemen would bring out body bags, one black bag after another… one body being removed from the wreckage after another… his heart started to pound its way out of his chest, it was beating so hard that he could hear it pounding in his ears, his lungs working overtime sucking air into them at an ungodly rhythm and pace… another body bag, then another… his breathing so fast he was starting to get light headed…. another body bag… he was starting to see spots clouding his vision….. another body bag only this was smaller than the rest….. Oh God…. He could hear himself praying over and over again…. Please don't be dead, please don't be dead…. he was hyperventilating, he was panicking….. "No, no, no, no, NOOOOOO!" With a roar he started to take off into the direction of the ambulance, the one the body bags were being carried away but for some reason he was stopped, he couldn't get there. His panic now increasing, he had no idea what was stopping him from running, stopping him from going to her.

"NO JASON! You can't!" "Jason, man you need to focus!" "JASON!"

It took him a few long seconds to register what was happening, to fully understand what was stopping him from getting to her, both Max and Sonny had held him back, had stopped from getting to her, had stopped him from getting to Sam. "GET OFF OF ME!" He bellowed out with a tremendous rage as he shoved them away from him then whirled around to meet Sonny's grief stricken eyes. "YOU DID THIS!" He yelled out pointing his finger at the person he believed held all the blame. " **HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME! I ALMOST HAD HER!** " Jason could hear Max try to calm him down, Dante and Lucky were doing the same, but he didn't care, he was too far gone. "After EVERYTHING that I have ever done for you, this, THIS is how you repay me! I have protected yours at the expense of my own! Protected your wife, your kids, your family, your girlfriend…" He sneered at the last word as his cold eyes met Brenda's, further increasing her sobs. "Never again, do you hear me, NEVER AGAIN! I LOST HER!" He whirled as he heard the ambulance start their sirens to drive away, on their way to the….. morgue. "OH GOD!" He wanted to run to it, wanted to pull Sam's body free to hold her, to touch her one last time but as the ambulance drove by, Jason was driven down to his knees. " **SSSAAAAMMMMMM**!"

Max couldn't stay back any longer, he knew that his friend was going through the worst pain ever. Knowing the entire love saga that was Jason and Sam, Max was always on their side. He was sad when it ended and then overjoyed when they were together again, and he knew only death would tear them apart. Well he was right. "Jason…" He slowly walked up to the man, his friend that was hunched over on the ground on his knees doing something that Max had never seen coming from the enforcer, sobbing. "Jason…." He waited for Jason to turn to him, to give some sort of response, none came, but when he touched his shoulder, Max had to jump back as if he was burned as well.

" **NO! DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME! DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING TOUCH ME**!" Jason lunged for his SUV, he couldn't be here, he couldn't be anywhere near here, not the place where Sam died. Slamming his truck into drive, he tore out of there with squealing tires. He had no idea where he was going to go, didn't know where to run to, he just had to get the fuck away before he killed everyone in his rage.

"Jason! JASON!" Lucky ran after Jason the first second he took off. Jason was in no condition to drive right now. He could feel his pain, feel his loss because he lost her as well. Even though he wasn't in love with heras Jason was, he did love her for a time, a time when they were both there for each other, a time when they healed each other's broken hearts. And after their relationship ended, they remained friends. And today, he just lost his friend. "Damn it Sonny! He's in no shape to drive right now."

"Just leave him be Lucky. He needs to be alone right now."

"I can't do that." He blew out a deep breath conceding, he just prayed Jason wouldn't hurt himself or anybody else out on the road with a two ton vehicle. "Fine." He nodded and turned away but stopped. "Sonny, someone needs to tell Alexis. I can tell Nikolas, I'll head on over there now, but someone needs to tell Alexis."

"I'll tell her." Lord knows he didn't want to, how can he tell her that her daughter died, how can he look into his daughter's eyes and tell Kristina that her sister died, or tell Molly the same. Gathering up a sniffling Brenda, Sonny climbed into the back of the limo with Max. Leaning back in the seat with Brenda tucked safely in his side, Sonny closed his eyes and dreaded the conversation that was about to come.

 *************************************************

Jason stood on the top of the mountain, their mountain, the one where him and Sam would escape to from time to time. Looking out into the horizon, he could see all of Port Charles and beyond all the way to the lake. A shadow to the left caught his eyes, it was smoke, the black some that was coming from the plane, the plane that Sam was in. He knew this was it, knew that this was the end, but he couldn't do it, Jason choked on his goodbye. He couldn't say the word. It hurt too much to say it because saying it would make it real and he desperately didn't want this to be real. He wanted this to be a bad dream he could wake up from.

But it wasn't. It was real. All of it. Sam was gone.

Falling to his knees, he held out his arms wide and roared to the Heaven's above. " **WHYYY?** " Letting his arms fall, his shoulders hunched down in defeat and gave himself up to his emotions. "Why did you take her away from me?" He cried. "Sam…."

 *************************************************

An hour away from Port Charles, Aidan carried in an unconscious body into a secluded cabin. Walking through the well furnished living room, he walked straight into the bedroom and laid her body down gently on the bed after letting his duffle bag drop to the floor. Opening the bag, he pulled out the supplies. He couldn't believe that his plan worked. It was a brilliant idea, the girl from the coffee shop was almost the exact replica of Samantha. She was the same height, weight, proportions, same dark hair, she was perfect. He supposed he could've seduced her and kept the substitute, but there was only one Samantha and now she was all his. After drugging and kidnapping the girl, he made his way to the hospital, broke in, and stole all the necessary supplies that he needed to keep his plan alive. He handed the replica to the Balkan after he had set the charges to the plane, the Balkan was dead for threatening him and he kept the woman he loved.

Hooking up the IV to her arm, he administered the right amount of medication to keep her in her coma induced state. After pulling the covers over her, he climbed into bed and pulled her delicate body into his arms. Stroking her silky soft hair, Aidan whispered into her ear. "Don't worry Samantha, I'm going to take care of you. It's just us now. Just you and me."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Lucky still couldn't believe it, he just couldn't wrap his mind around Sam being gone, and not gone like she moved away or went on vacation and in a couple of weeks he would see her again, no, she was gone for good, a place where he wouldn't be able to follow, well not now anyway, it wasn't his time. Reaching the front doors of Wyndemere, a thought suddenly froze his hand from reaching the door knob: he will never see her again. He swallowed thickly at the lump in his throat and held back the tears that were misting his eyes. He will never see her again. Never see her around town, never see her at Kelly's and tell her all about Cam and Jakes latest antics, never see her smile, laugh…. He wiped the lone tear that escaped, he was never going to talk to her again, his friend. He had loved her once, thought that she was his second chance at love from being so bad hurt from Elizabeth's lies and betrayal. He thought he found someone that finally understood him, finally understood the man that he was and accepted him despite all his mistakes and faults. She accepted him without question and instead of accepting the woman that she was, the fighter that she was, the adrenaline junkie, the PI, he broke up with her and went back to the woman that cheated on him with his own brother. That was the best quality that Sam had, she would never cheat, loyal to a fault and would have your back no matter what.

After their breakup, they had remained friends, there were no hard feelings, no sense of betrayal or hurt, guess that showed you just how little their relationship had actually meant. He had accepted her going back to Jason, told her to make sure she knew what she was doing and to be careful. Pausing, he took a breath to release the painful knot that suddenly gripped his heart, wiped the moisture from his face, and closed his eyes. He missed her already, God only knows what Alexis and her sisters will feel when Sonny tells them. Nikolas had just flown back from Greece this morning, after spending hours this morning going over the events of the other night and to assure him that Jason had paid to cover any damages done to his study, Lucky had left to meet up with Jason. And now, opening the door to Wyndemere, Lucky had to go into the dark mansion and tell his brother that his cousin was….. gone.

Nikolas was sitting at his desk on the phone with a manager from one of his international companies situated in Greece. Having lived there, he spoke the language fluently and would often visit whenever he had the chance. Spencer had enjoyed their vacation and was sad to see that it had to end, having arrived back to Port Charles that morning, he was thankful that he had mentioned missing his horses where he was with Winnifred now in the stables. He was a bit surprised to see his brother again, after their chat earlier about the recent events, no matter what, it was always welcome. He held up his finger signaling to his brother that he would be just another moment, without actually getting a good look at him. After hanging up, he stood from his chair and walked around the desk to properly greet his brother, their relationship was still strained from his affair with Lucky's fiancé, but he hoped beyond hope that one day they would get passed it all. Suddenly stopping short, Nikolas took a really good look at Lucky and suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, his eyes were red with a gleam of moisture and looked sad, his shoulders hunched over, his posture stiff as if he was controlling himself, something was wrong. "Lucky? What happened?"

Lucky wasn't sure where to begin or how to even start. Over the years, since finding out that Sam was a Cassadine, her and Nikolas both worked hard to build a relationship between them. It was strained for a while but they picked up right away and built a strong bond, they are…. no, were cousins, family. "Uhm…" Lucky had to clear his throat as he tried to hold back his emotions, it was still all too fresh. "Th… there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Nikolas demanded, the look in Lucky's eyes was only adding to his heightened state of panic. "Is it the boys? Alexis? What happened?"

"You might want to sit down…."

"I don't need to sit! Just tell me what the hell happened?" He was losing patience and he hoped that Lucky would just stop beating around the bush and tell him already. "Lucky!"

Deciding to just go for it since he couldn't think of a better way, Lucky started. "It's Sam, she's… uh… she's gone."

For a second, Nikolas was relieved to hear that it wasn't about something bad happening to his nephews but then his forehead creased as confusion took over. This was about Sam. What did he mean that she was gone? "Where did she go? Did she say when she was coming back, because this doesn't sound like her, she wouldn't just leave her mom and her sisters?"

"She's not coming back…"

It came out as a whisper but Nikolas heard it, rage suddenly set in. "Did Jason do something to make her leave? What the hell did he do?!"

Wiping his face with his shaking hands, Lucky realized he wasn't doing this right. It was time to change tactics, to be more direct but he couldn't say the words, he still couldn't believe it. He cleared his voice and spoke louder. "There was an accident." He started with that and wait for that small bit of info settle into his brother's face. As he saw Nikolas' eyes widen at the news, he continued. "There was a plane crash, and… and Sam was on it." He paused for a moment at seeing Nikolas stumble back and grab the end of the bar edge. "It blew up right after takeoff…"

"No." Nikolas shook his head, refusing to believe that another person he loved was taken from him. How much more could he take? "No. You're wrong." Seeing Lucky's devastated form, Nikolas couldn't do anything but accept what he was hearing was true. Tears clouded his dark brown eyes, his breathing short as his lungs seized and his heart ached. "How can she be gone? Oh God, what about Alexis? Molly? Kristina? Do they know?"

Lucky shook his head. "Sonny is telling them now…."

"Sonny?" Nikolas' voice hardened at the name. "What the hell does Sonny have to do with this? Wait…" He held up his hand, straightening out his posture and eyes hard. "Are telling me that this was some kind of mob hit? One of Sonny and Jason's enemies?" He demanded answers.

"Not exactly…." Lucky started, wanting to explain at seeing the anger in the other man's eyes.

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" At Lucky's pause, Nikolas blew up. "Just tell me the whole story! NOW!"

Taking a deep breath, Lucky went on and explained the situation, having already informed him about the recent events leading up to the chase at Wyndemere, he picked up when Sam found Jason and Brenda drugged. He didn't know all of the facts, Jason only told him what he needed to know, and now he was explaining the same to Nikolas. He told him about Aidan kidnapping Sam, about how he was working for the Balkan now, how he showed up with Sam bound to exchange her for Brenda. "….Sonny grabbed Brenda too soon, Sam wasn't even that far, so the Balkan yelled for his men to grab her. We tried to get to her, but his men opened fire and we were right in the middle of an all out war. Jason broke free and made a run for her but some guy grabbed her from behind and carried her onto the plane. It took off and it… it blew up." Lucky took a deep breath, kicking himself internally, wishing there was something else they could've done. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"Where is she now? Where…" Nikolas took a deep breath, having a hard time getting this out. "Where is her… body?"

"It's at the hospital morgue. They're preparing her, she was… 90% of her body was burned. I'm sorry." Seeing Nikolas stand up and head for the door, Lucky immediately followed. "Where are you going, they're not going to let you see her body that way."

"I'm not going to the hospital. I'm going to my aunt's." He turned back and glared at Lucky, hatred burning in his heart, fire reaching inferno in his eyes. "I'll be DAMNED if I let Sonny anywhere near my family again!"

 **********************************************

Walking up to the lake house, Sonny was feeling a mixture of emotions. After leaving the airstrip, he had his men drop Brenda off at his house so that he could tell his old friend that she lost her oldest daughter. Having known both Sam and Alexis, even intimately at one time, and having fathered children with both, he was constant orbit in their lives. He knew that their relationship was almost nonexistent when they first met, knew they were forcing their mother and daughter connection, and he knew when they jumped over the hurdle and actually became a real family. Alexis loved Sam, not at first, but now you wouldn't be able to mistake the gleam and pride shining in her eyes at her eldest. Her sisters looked up to her, loved her and considered her a role model, Molly wanted to become a PI just like her big sister, and Kristina, his daughter always looked to Sam as if she hung the moon and stars. Even though Sam tried to steer Kristina in a different direction, his daughter wanted to be just like her. Sam was everything to them and now he had to tell them that they lost her, lost her because he jumped the gun.

He felt relieved that Brenda was safe, but the pain and guilt was eating at him at what that cost them. Alexis lost her daughter, Molly and Kristina lost their sister, Jason lost the love of his life and he lost a friend. His next thought just added to the heartache he was already feeling, in Heaven, Sam is finally holding the baby girl that they had lost. "Please forgive me Lila." He whispered out, choking back the pain. Knocking on the lake house, he took a deep breath to compose himself. He owed it to Alexis to tell her what happened, she was the mother of his child. As she opened the door and greeted him with a confused but sincere smile, he stepped in. "Hi."

"Hi Sonny." She looked towards the back rooms where her daughters were currently getting ready for bed, she was a little confused at the timing of his visit. Glancing back to him, for some unexplained reason Alexis dreaded what he was going to say. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Where are the girls?" He questioned not wanting Molly and Kristina to hear the news of their big sister from him, he would let Alexis handle that one.

"In their rooms." She was short, seeing him acting weird was making her nervous. "Why? For God's sake Sonny just tell me. What is it? Is it Sam?" She heard the high pitch in her voice at the mention of something happening to her oldest daughter. For some reason, and Alexis had no idea why, but danger was always attracted to Sam.

He was never the type to prolong the inevitable, he was always rip-the-band-aid-off-fast kind of guy, but seeing his friend in front of him with worried eyes gave him a moment's pause, he could already hear the hysteria in her voice and he hadn't even told her anything yet, Alexis was extremely protective of her babies, all three of them. "There was an explosion…" He started but immediately regretted the words, that was how her sister Kristina died all those years ago in Alcazar's warehouse. He could see her face suddenly pale as she looked at him wide eyed, taking steps back, stumbling over her own feet as her legs hit the end of the couch, her hand flew to her chest as if her heart was suddenly in pain. "She was kidnapped by the Balkan, they forced her into their plane and when it took off, it exploded. I'm sorry Alexis…."

No, no, no, no, no, this couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening, not her daughter, not her eldest daughter, the one that she never got to see grow up, the one that she gave up for adoption, she missed her birthdays, missed her childhood, not her, not her daughter. "NO! NO! There's been some mistake… NO Sonny!" Her hands flew to her throat as if she couldn't breathe, her throat closed up on her, her lungs ceased to function, her heart was on the verge of exploding, not one of her daughters, the tears ran down unstoppable. "OH…. OH…. NOOO! Please…. Sonny…. Oh God, I can't breathe, I can't breathe…"

She was in the midst of panic attack and hyperventilating. Reaching to her side, he pulled her to sit on the couch and forced her to put her head between her legs. She looked like she was about to pass out and he had to do something to help her. "MOM!" He turned to hear Molly and Kristina run from their rooms, no doubt hearing their mother's sobs, and made their way over to their mother. "Uncle Sonny? What happened?" He didn't want to be the one to tell them about Sam but Alexis was in no shape to tell them. He held on to his friend tighter as she sobbed and struggled to breathe. "Dad?" Hearing Kristina's voice broke his heart, his eyes misting with unshed tears. He would shed them later, when he was alone, he would cry for what his friends and family had lost, Sam. "Listen girls, there's been an accident…"

"What accident?" "Who was hurt?" Both girls asked but as Sonny looked at Molly's wide eyes, he knew that she put the pieces together. Her soft innocent voice broke him more. "Is it Sam? Its Sam isn't? Isn't Uncle Sonny?"

Sniffing away the moisture, he looked at both of them and nodded. "I'm sorry girls…. Sam…. Sam…. she's gone…." Hearing their sobs and shouts of protest destroyed the man that he had become, he was no longer the strong mob boss, he was a weak man that let this happen, he can justify it all he wanted but he jumped the gun and ruined their plan, if he had only trusted Jason….. He let Alexis go as both girls wrapped their small bodies around their mother for comfort, all three strong beautiful woman were now vulnerable and utterly destroyed. Hearing the door slam open, Sonny jumped to his feet to confront the intruder, but when he looked into the eyes of Nikolas Cassadine, he held his ground. With the look on the younger man's face, Sonny knew that Lucky had already told him. Stepping forward, Sonny wanted to offer his condolences. "Nikolas, I'm really sorry….."

"Save it!" Nikolas gritted his teeth, seeing his family on the couch was breaking his heart but he was the man of the family and he had to be strong for them, for Sam. "You don't think I know why you're really here? You don't think I know that you wanted to be the one to tell Alexis and spin the story the way you see fit. You didn't want to tell her what I'm sure you conveniently left out." He stepped passed Sonny, making sure to bump his shoulder on the way to his aunt.

Stumbling a bit, Sonny made his way towards the door where Lucky was standing, almost as if on guard, looking at him with hatred. No doubt, Lucky told Nikolas that this was his fault. In a way it was, but could they really put all the blame on him for protecting Brenda? "Nikolas, look your hurt, but now's not the time…."

"FUCK YOU!" All that breeding and manners that he had growing up were suddenly thrown out the window. Hearing the three gasps behind him, he knew that they were shocked. "How could you do it? How the fuck could you show your face here again after what you did?!"

Alexis wasn't sure what was going on but she KNEW she wouldn't be able to take any more pain. She gently pushed her girls to hold on to one another. Her heart was shattering at hearing her daughter's cries as they sobbed in each other's arms, she could feel their loss but her heart was telling her differently. She loved all her daughters, Sam was the oldest and so she didn't need the nurturing attention she gave to the youngest two, but something was off, her heart was telling her that this wasn't real. She had a special place for each one of her girl's in her heart, and Sam's was still full. She made her way to her nephew whom was a second from lunging for the older man. "What are you talking about Nikolas?" She demanded as she furiously wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to compose herself.

"It was his fault! They had her, they almost had her. The Balkan wanted to switch Sam for Brenda, but they came up with a plan to save them both, we almost had her back but this BASTARD ruined it. It's all his fault!"

"Nikolas…" Sonny wanted to put a stop to his tirade before his daughter could hear, but seeing the sudden jerk of her head towards him, Sonny knew it was all over. He could see the pain in her eyes and it broke him.

"Is this true dad? Did you ruin their chances of saving Sam, of saving my… my sister?" Kristina tried to get the words out but they came out mumbled and hiccupped. She tried to wipe the tears away but they kept coming. Sam would've wanted her to be strong, strong for Molly. Seeing her father solemnly nod, gave her the strength to fight. "HOW COULD YOU? Sam was our sister….. I HATE YOU AND I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!" Grabbing Molly, she pulled her sister to their mother's bedroom, collapsing on the bed, they held on to each other as they mourned their older sister's death.

Nikolas could see the man in front of him was in pain but he didn't give a damn. "It's like I always said, you kill all living things around you, everything you touch, you destroy. So get the fuck out of my aunt's house and if I see you here ever again, I will kill you."

Seeing Sonny slumped and retreating form, Alexis had her own words. Beware the Cassadine. "Sonny, wait…." She walked up to him, taking a look at his somber face, reared her arm back as far as it went and let it fly, punching Sonny and sending him staggering back. "I will destroy you!" She said through clenched teeth. "You've already taken away my sister and now... my…. my daughter." Taking a deep breath and flipping her hair out of her eyes, she looked dead on. "Until my last breath, I will make sure that you never see your daughter ever again. Now get the hell out of my house!" She didn't breathe, it seemed like, until she heard the door close behind Sonny and Lucky. Reaching out, she grabbed a hold of Nikolas' hand and led him to her girls. This was the last of their little family and they would hold to each other for dear life. Tomorrow she would figure out why she can still feel Sam's heart beating in her own.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

After riding in his SUV for hours, taking it as fast as it could go, defying the speed limits, ignoring the road signs, not giving a damn if he was in a car accident or if the cops pulled him over. Jason miraculously made his way back to the penthouse without a scratch on him. The woman he needed more than his next breath was gone. His soul was dead, his life was now over, Sam was dead. Riding up the elevator, he leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes remembering the first time he met her.

 _"_ _It must be crowded around in here if the cops have to double up on two total strangers."_

 _"I don't think it's a coincidence."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"Cuz their hoping to get something out of it… your testimony against me."_

 _"Well, I might be willing if I had any idea who you are. I'm Sam… Sam McCall. I'm here for aiding and abetting Sonny Corinthos."_

 _"Jason Morgan… me too."_

He remembered that day as if it was yesterday, he could picture her clearly, her amazing body wrapped up in black and leather, long silky dark hair, dark brown exotic eyes, and a luscious plump mouth. The ding of the elevator broke into his thoughts. Stepping off, he passed by Max and Milo that were waiting there for him, not saying a word and ignoring their looks of pity, he walked into his penthouse, closed the door and leaned back against it, letting his head fall back with a thud. Remembering.

 _"_ _You like me?"_

 _"Sure."_

 _"Thanks, I mean that it's nice to hear… I like you too."_

He wanted to say so much more to her but he chose to keep it to himself. He didn't just like her, he was falling in love with her. Opening his eyes, he dragged his weary body to the bar and twisted off the cap of a new bottle of tequila, taking deep pulls, enjoying the burn. His gaze landed towards the couch and he remembered their first kiss. It was right after Nikolas and Emily's wedding and she wanted to dance, already in love with her, he didn't want to deny her anything. He held her in his arms, inhaled her rich intoxicating scent and relished in the way she felt pressed up against him. Soon they stumbled and fell and his body roared to life when she pulled him down for a sweet kiss. Taking another deep pull of the harsh liquid, he walked around the couch and stood in front of the coffee table. Remembering.

 _"_ _I can't cook, I think we've established that, and I can't clean, obviously.  
I can't do windows cuz I'm too short and they'll get all streaky and stuff, but if you give me some scuba gear and a salvage operation... I can definitely get the job done."_

 _"I'll keep that in mind."_

 _"And… I'm an expert safe cracker, excellent shot with a hand gun. If you ever need my help… I'm good back up."_

 _He takes another deep pull, enjoying the burn and looking forward to the numbness, to the darkness._

 _"I'm not afraid of you or your job and I'll never judge you, I mean I don't think there's anything you could do that could change how I feel about you."_

 _"Then there is something that you can do for me. Will you marry me?"_

He remembered she thought that he was only proposing to her because of the baby, because of Hope. Normally he would have felt a pang in his heart, the part that was reserved for Hope next to the one that held their baby Lila, but his heart was already gone, dead. He remembered telling her that it was much more simple than that, he told her he loved her for the first time. He could hear her repeating her love and accepting his proposal. She said yes, but they never made it down the aisle. So many things happened after that, so many obstacles, so many problems but it was his fault for not making it a priority, it was his fault for not making HER a priority. Hating himself, he bent down, grabbed the coffee table and flipped it over with a yell. Taking deep pulls of the tequila, he ignored Max and Milo that were currently banging on the door and calling his name, and remembered the love they shared, what they lost, the heartache, the breakup, the lies, the reunion.

 _"_ _Since, uh, Mexico everything's changed. And I don't know if you want to hear it, because I don't want you to feel pressured, but you know with everything that's going on, I think I should tell you… that I love you, and I'm just glad that you're back in my life."_

 _"I love you too."_

Finishing the contents of the bottle as he remembered the kiss they shared, the way her soft lips felt against his, they got back to what was right and they were better than they ever were. Now, she's gone. Feeling the darkness overtake him, he threw the empty bottle against the wall and took much pleasure in the way it shattered. He stumbled over to the desk, wanting to make it up the stairs, but at hearing Max and Milo still call his name to make sure that he was ok, his anger took control and he swiped everything off of the desk. Shoving the chair to the side, he grabbed a strong hold of the desk and shoved it up against the door. " **NO! I'M NOT FUCKING OK**!" He yelled as he repeatedly kicked the desk with his black boots. Feeling his energy depleting, he stumbled back and off to the right side of the door, back against the wall.

 _"_ _And when I'm alone, I'm just going to close my eyes and pretend that I'm right here… in your arms."_

He remembered her saying that to him when he was going to Pentonville to protect Michael. He loved her even more because she understood, she the only one who understood him. Closing his eyes, his legs gave away and he slid down the wall to the floor, leaned his head back and wrapped his arms around his body picturing himself in the arms of his angel as the tears fell from his eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Riding up the elevator, Spinelli could recall the exact moment he laid eyes on his Fair Samantha outside of Kelly's on a cold November night. The Goddess of Hotness was the name he had officially given her, for that was exactly what she was: A Goddess and she was HOT. His lips curved softly, the smile not reaching his eyes when he remembered their encounter and the events that unfolded. He was working for Alcazar at the time and the former DA to frame Fair Samantha but Stone Cold and his Goddess caught up to his treachery. And instead of throwing him out into the streets when all was cleared, Stone Cold and his Goddess gave him a home and a job and…. Friendship and family. An ache in his chest caused him to frown thinking about the recent events, Fair Samantha was gone and it was all his fault. He heard noise coming from the living room but he did nothing to stop it, he had no idea and he didn't suspect a thing, the penthouse was Stone Cold's lair and no one in their right mind would ever think to harm the Goddess in the fortress of solitude, he was naive. He should have protected her better, should never had left her, but in all honestly, he just didn't know, he was the Jackal, the Assassin of Cyberspace, he wasn't equipped to handle dangerous situations, he wasn't even sure how to spot them, so he never knew while he was in the kitchen making himself a sandwich that Fair Samantha was in the other room getting kidnapped. His Maximista tried to reassure him that it was not his fault, that there was no way that he could've known what was happening. Spinelli didn't agree with her entirely. But something didn't sit right with him, something just didn't make sense, something was bugging him, calling out for his attention, so he spent the past hour at the blonde one's apartment gathering all the information and facts for Stone Cold. It just didn't make sense. He just hoped that his poor master was up for it.

Exiting the elevator, Spinelli turned left to go home but was stopped short at the defeated sights of the faithful guards, Max and Milo. Seeing the sadness in their eyes reminded Spinelli, yet again, that his beautiful Goddess was gone. Giving them a short nod, Spinelli pulled out his keys, ready to enter his home but came to a halt when Max's arm came into view, effectively blocking him.

"Hey Spinelli." Max greeted the kid, by the sadness in his eyes and his defeated posture, Max knew that Spinelli heard about Sam. All it did was just increase the sadness in his heart, tightening it painfully. He hated to do this but he felt that Jason needed to be alone. "I um… I don't think you should be here right now…" He paused to take a controlled breath and looked over at his brother for an agreement, seeing him nod gave him reassurance that they were on the same page. "Maybe you could stay over Maxie's…"

Spinelli cut him off before he could finish. "But Stone Cold needs me. The master would need his friend, his grasshopper…"

"I think that Jason just wants to be alone right now, we heard some things being thrown around Spinelli, I don't he's up for seeing anyone tonight. Sam's…." Max took a deep breath to control the sudden ache in his heart, his eyes misting at the words he couldn't believe he was going to say… "Sam's death…. It came as a huge blow and I don't know if he's up to seeing anyone."

"But…. But….."

"How about you stay over at Sonny's penthouse for the night, across the hall, maybe stay for the week, just to given Jason some time alone."

"But… this is my home." Was the only thing Spinelli could think of. Feeling his heart break further and the tears that pooled in his eyes, Spinelli spoke from his heart. "Stone Cold and Fair… Fair Samantha took me in…" His words breaking as he choked them out. "They are my family… this… this is my home…."

A low scraping noise was heard that stopped all three men in their tracks, almost sounding as if something was be dragged across the floor, or shoved hard. A soft click sounded and a turn of the door knob had all three men looking towards the source, the penthouse door was cracked open. Taking this as his cue, Spinelli made his way passed the guards, reaching the door, he slowly pushed it open to reveal the destruction that was laid before him. In his home. The home that he once shared with both of his dear friends was almost destroyed. A sniffle to his right caught his attention and Spinelli found himself looking down at the broken enforcer sitting with his back up against the wall, looking sad, lost and completely destroyed. Spinelli had never seen his friend this way, never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would ever see his Stone Cold master turned into a crying lump on the floor. Carefully stepping fully into the penthouse, Spinelli closed the door closing off the concerned looks that Max and Milo were giving their boss as they looked down at him. He cleared his throat, about to speak of his sorrows and offer condolence but Jason beat him to it.

"You're right." His voice was husky and rough, sounding more pained, and Spinelli's heart broke more. "This is your home. Sam…" Jason took a deep breath, wiping the moisture from his nose as his tears clouded his eyes again. "Sam would want you here, she would want you safe."

Hearing his friend and partner's name, Spinelli felt nothing but grief over her loss. "I'm so sorry Stone Cold, I… I don't even know what to say… it's just… none of this makes sense… none of this should've happened, nothing should've befallen Fair Samantha… it's all too confusing… the Jackall doesn't know what to say…"

"There's nothing to say Spinelli… Sam is… gone." He whispered out brokenly, still not believing the words that escaped him.

Shaking his head, Spinelli walked over to the overturned coach and sat awkwardly on the edge, lost in his own thoughts. "It doesn't make sense…"

Jason looked up at the younger kid and looked around the destruction that his own hands had created. He felt guilty. This was Spinelli's home too and Jason destroyed it, he couldn't help it though, he was too overcome by darkness, too overcome by grief that he couldn't control his rage. As he looked back at Spinelli, he could see that he was muttering something to himself, almost as if trying to solve a puzzle. "What are you saying?" He questioned then thought about Spinelli's last statement. "What doesn't make sense?"

"This!" A little taken back by his own outburst, Spinelli reeled himself in. "All of this. The whole situation regarding Fair Samantha and the horrific events that unfolded. It just doesn't make any sense." Seeing Jason give him a confusing look, Spinelli pressed on to what he was thinking. "If the Demented PI was so desperate to have the Fair Samantha, so desperate that he would break into our home to drug you and the Divine One, hoping to break you and Fair Samantha up, only to kidnap her later… Why would he just hand her over? Why would he just relinquish all claim to her and give her over to the Evil One? I mean one would assume that the Demented PI went through all that trouble with his heinous acts to gain the Fair Samantha, but why surrender her now?"

Hearing Spinelli refer Aidan brought a whole new meaning of rage to Jason. The bastard had kidnapped the woman he loved, handed her over to the Balkan, and left her to die. There was nowhere on Earth Aidan could hide, Jason would leave everything behind to hunt the son of a bitch and bring him down to his knees where he would make him suffer, painfully and slowly, until he died. "It doesn't matter why he did it." He said roughly.

"But don't you see Stone Cold, it does matter, everything matters. Look…" Spinelli dug into his bag and pulled out a manila folder and walked over to Jason whom was still sitting on the floor. "The Jackal is regretfully sorry but I couldn't help, I had to look, I needed all the facts before I was to believe that the Goddess was truly gone. Aside from the horrific pictures of Fair Samantha's… burned body, The Jackal went through all the footage, but something doesn't feel right Stone Cold, something is amiss. If you…"

"Forget it Spinelli." He couldn't sit here any longer, he barely could wrap his mind around the fact that Sam was gone, that his beautiful, vibrant, full of life Sam was gone. Spinelli wanted him to look at a file of her… Oh God of her poor burned body… that was not the last image that Jason needed to see, but knowing that a certain part of him would never NEVER finally accept that she was truly gone until he looked at the pictures, but not tonight. Jason was not ready to see those tonight. "I'm going to bed, just leave the file…" Without another word, he trudged up the stairs as if he was climbing up a steep mountain, his legs barely carried him and he could barely breathe knowing where he was going to end up.

Pausing just for a second by his bedroom door, Jason forced air into lungs, making them work. He wasn't ready to go in, but he had to, this was where he belonged tonight. Reaching for the door knob, he turned it and slowly opened, gritting his teeth and clenching his jaw as the lingering scent of vanilla assaulted him. Staggering forward, he slammed the door shut with his body as he fell on it, taking the hits of the sweet fragrance that she wore. His closed his eyes as he took a deep breath in, breath out, in and out, until every cell in his entire body was basking in the scent. Not bothering with a shower or any bedtime rituals, not even bothering to take off his boots, Jason stumbled over to his bed and planted himself face first into her pillow. Reaching underneath, he grabbed the soft object with two hands, fisted it in place, holding it to his face as he turned to his side taking the pillow and her fragrance that lingered on it with him. She was here, in that one small moment of time, he allowed himself to believe that she was here with him and he was holding her tight as he held on to her pillow as if it were his only lifeline as he drifted off to a dark sleep with her name on his lips. "Sammm…"

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The sound of his cell phone woke him up from his nightmare, the image of Sam's plane exploding was the only thing that played in his head as soon as he closed his eyes. For once, he was thankful for the disturbance. It was his mother, calling him to offer her condolences and to ask him if he needed anything. He had sighed, thinking that this was soon going to be a pattern, people calling him, telling him how sorry they are, how much Sam was loved and will be missed and if he needed anything. He would tell them all to go to Hell, but to his mother, he thanked her for her kind words and respectfully declined her need to help him, to comfort him. There was nothing that she or anyone could say that would give him the smallest amount of comfort.

Realizing that he wasn't going to fall back asleep anytime soon, he dragged the covers off of his weary body and stumbled his way downstairs. His head was pounding, thanks to the drinking that he did the night before, or should he say a few hours before. But he did actually accomplish what he had sought out in the first place, dull the pain, but it was still there. The penthouse was still a mess, and he was so not ready to deal with cleaning it up just yet. Spinelli was safe in his room but the place still seemed empty, he felt alone. Not wanting to deal with that thought again, he stumbled his way to the kitchen and ripped out another beer from the fridge. Bottoms up. He knocked it back, barely giving himself time to breathe during gulps. Placing the now empty bottle on the counter, he grabbed another from the fridge and made his way over to the living room. The file on the desk caught his sight, the file that Spinelli had brought over to him the night before, detailing the final hours of Sam's life. His heart tightened painfully, taking a deep pull from his beer, he made his way to the desk, picked up the file and walked towards the overturned coffee table. Righting it the best he could with one hand, he placed the beer and file on the table and walked around to fix the couch. Staring at the file as if it offended him, Jason grabbed the beer and drank the remaining contents. He couldn't do this.

He couldn't open it, he couldn't bear to see what it contained, he knew that there would be detailed reports of the events from last night, details that he would like to read about but he also knew that pictures of her poor burned body would be in them as well. How could he do it? Was he ready to deal with all that yet? No. He would never be ready. He still wasn't ready to say goodbye, still wasn't ready to wrap his mind around the fact that he will never see her sweet face again. His tears clouded his vision as the alcohol was clouding his judgment. Obviously the beer wasn't helping and he was not ready to knock down another bottle of tequila just yet, give him another hour… or less. Glaring at the file, he looked down at the now empty bottle in his hand, he needed something else to help him look at that file. He needed a clear head, he needed coffee. Rising up, he went to the kitchen and made himself a fresh pot, waiting until it was ready before he dared open the folder. Maybe there was something in it that would help him find the bastard that took Sam. And when he found him, he would torture him.

Sitting down on the couch, placing his full coffee mug on the table, Jason clenched and unclenched his fists as he finally found the courage to open the folder. He nearly doubled over in pain at the sight before him. There, staring up at him were the pictures from the coroner. Sam's burned body. Photos and photos of all angles of her, 90% of her body was burned except for her some of her legs and feet and that was probably only because of the boots that she wore and because of the way she was sitting on the plane. A new hatred for Aidan resurfaced and surged through Jason, it felt as though lava was suddenly pouring into his bloodstream, heating his rage to an all time high. She should never have been there in the first place, but she was and that was because he couldn't protect her. He brought Brenda into their lives and with Brenda came the Balkan. The Balkan used Sam as an exchange and that was because she was associated with HIM. How much had she suffered because of him? How much had she lost because of him? A knew found hatred formed, but not for Aidan, or the Balkan, not even for Sonny, it was for himself. With shaky hands, he spread out the pictures one by one all across the coffee table, to remind him of the destruction that he had brought down on the woman he loved.

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She needed to see him, needed to offer him comfort because she knew he would be a mess. Carly was never Sam's favorite person, but she was glad that Sam made Jason happy and that was all that mattered. But now, seeing her friend in this state of heartache caused her own heart to break. In the middle of the destroyed penthouse, her best friend sat on the couch reading a file, a video was paused on the laptop screen and as she walked closer, she saw the pictures littered on the coffee table. The gasp that escaped her lips probably brought Jason's attention to her. She looked at him, tears misted her eyes as she took in his state. He looked lost, defeated, his eyes were bloodshot, dark circles formed beneath them, his hair was a mess probably from spearing his fingers through them, he was broken. "Jason…" She whispered his name and then turned back to the horrific pictures, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat.

He turned his head back to the pictures of Sam's burned body. And just as she was about to reach them to clean them up, he held out his arm and stopped her. "NO! Don't touch them. They stay where they are."

She fell onto the couch in defeat and sadness. "Why are they here? This isn't right Jason."

"No, it's not." He nodded in agreement. "None of this is right. Her being gone isn't right. But it's all I have right now." When she looked at him confused, he pressed on. "Her things upstairs, her clothes, her shoes, her… stuff…" He took a deep breath to compose himself. "Those are just reminders of her being here, they make me feel like one day she's going to come walk through that door and everything will be ok. But it's not… and she won't ever come back. These, these pictures are going to remind me of it, they're going to remind me that she's… gone… and… and that she's never coming back. So don't touch them, just… just leave them where they are." He choked on his emotions and turned back to the file that he was reading about Devane. Something was missing, almost as if a chunk of his life was missing somehow. He remembered Spinelli telling him that he was in Pine Valley for a few years, but it doesn't state that in the police reports. Something was missing.

"You know." Carly started, hoping to get his attention away from the file in hopes of getting him to open up to her, maybe then he would look at this a different way and not blame himself, which she knew he was doing. "I never really liked her." She saw a small shift in his posture, taking that as a good sign, she continued. "It wasn't really HER I didn't like, I mean, I'm sure that if we met under different circumstances, I would actually see ourselves as friends…" He scoffed at that, she continued on. "It was just the situation that we were all in: you fighting with Courtney, me with Lorenzo, Sonny thinking I betrayed him…."

"You did betray him."

"Yeah well, he wasn't a saint either. Shacking up with the first woman he saw and knocking her up. I hated her. But now and with EVERYTHING that happened I learned to tolerate her, but only for your sake. I love you Jason and I only wanted to see you happy."

"She makes… MADE me happy." He hated to use past tense, wasn't ready to do it, but the files and pictures before him made it all too real.

"I saw it, hell the entire town saw it. No matter what happened, you two always found your way back together." She ended it there, she wasn't sure what else to say. They did found their way back to each other but only to lose one another. Not helping it, she turned back to the pictures and something caught her eye. "Hmmm…" She never knew.

"What?" He asked on a reflex without looking up.

"Wow, I never knew she had one. I mean it's no big deal, I have one, you have one but I never knew she did."

"Carly what the hell are you talking about?"

"I never knew Sam had a tattoo."

"What?" He was clearly confused by that comment. He looked at her as if she was out of her mind. "Sam doesn't have a tattoo."

"Well maybe she got it when you guys weren't together. It's no big deal Jason…."

"Carly!" He raised his tone to stop her rambling. "Sam never had a tattoo." He stressed out.

"Then what's that?" She pointed to one of the pictures at the far end of the table.

Jason followed her direction, pointing to a picture furthest away from him. There was no way he was going to find what she was claiming. Jason knew Sam's entire body as the back of his hand, he loved that body, worshipped it many times with his mouth and hands and he knew 100% without a doubt that Sam never had a tattoo. Looking at the picture, it was a shot of her feet, some was burned except a portion of skin still visible along the calf and sure enough, there was a tattoo, a big butterfly tattoo. WHAT THE FUCK?

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Aidan sat in the chair as he watched the woman he loved, Samantha stir slightly from her deep drug induced sleep. He had thought long and hard and came to a decision. He had an idea, a brilliant wonderful idea, an idea that would remove Jason from her thoughts and only have them centered on him. But he would have to stop drugging her first, he couldn't keep her this way, she was of no use to him. Of course he could've gotten his way with her at anytime but Aidan wanted a willing participate, wanting HER. He needed her to want him in return, yearn for him, beg for him, needing him as much as he needed her. So he stopped the medication and pulled out her IV, bandaged her up and waited. Now sitting on the chair next to her bed, he stroked her hair as he waited for her to wake up.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing, he wasn't sure what to think about what all this meant. Could it really be? He was afraid to hope, afraid to feel the smallest ounce of it, the smallest trace of that warmth only to have it be wrong and his world would grow dark again. Was it possible that she got a tattoo without him knowing? Is it possible that he just never noticed? Shaking his head, he immediately put a stop to that thought, of course he knew, he knew everything about her, and he knew for a fact, after having seen her naked a million times, that she did NOT have a tattoo, especially one in the shape of a butterfly. No, his Sam would more than likely sport a tattoo of 9 mm instead. That's who she was, strong, tough and great backup. He took a deep breath, feeling the ease of that simple action, an act so normal that was sometimes taken for granted, he could actually breathe a little easier now. He could feel the tightness in his chest loosen up, just a fraction, but still, he felt… hope. It had always been there, he finally realized, the connection that he could always feel when Sam was with him, it was clouded with the pain and the alcohol, but now having a clear head and seeing the evidence before him, he felt it. He felt the warmth and when he opened his mouth, the words tumbled out in a whisper. "This isn't Sam." There, he said it and meant it with every fiber of his being. Ignoring Carly, he pulled the pictures closer to him, holding them up close to his eyes to study every single detail of the charred body. He was looking for any other indicator to prove that this body was 100% NOT Sam.

"Jason?"

He heard his name being called but he chose not to answer, he wasn't ready to voice his thoughts out yet, not when something so profound scared him, he had to make sure, to chase away any doubt that lingered in the back of his mind. His heart knew but his brain needed to be able to understand. He was now looking at the picture of the body's face, a gruesome sight, so bad that he almost missed it, but he saw it, he saw the one proof that he needed, that 100% that he was striving for…. a small diamond nose stud, so small that would only give the slightest shine when looked upon, the coroner must have missed it. The same kind that Robin used to wear, if he hadn't just talked to her earlier when she called to offer condolences and apologize for her cousin's behavior, he would have thought that the woman in these pictures was her. "This isn't Sam." He said it louder. And again, hope strong and alive in his voice…. "This isn't Sam!" A bold and true statement that had him leaping to his feet to stand above it all, to rise above the darkness that had consumed his soul. And then it came… Relief, such sweet relief washed over him in a tidal wave that almost dropped him down to his knees.

"Jason?" Carly was watching him with worry in her gaze, she was worried about him and it scared her. And she had no idea how to reach him. "Jason… Talk to me. What's going on?" She reached up to touch him, comfort him somehow or bring him back down to reality. She had no idea what he meant. "How is this…" She motioned to the pictures on the table. "…not Sam?"

Instead of answering, he let the picture he was holding fall to her lap as he practically sprinted towards the stairs. "SPINELLI!" He yelled up the stairs, desperate for his friend to come down and work some computer magic for him.

"Wait a minute. Jason, what's going on?" Carly stood up with the picture in hand, she was facing him and in desperate need of information.

Jason paced back and forth, called Spinelli's name again and paced once more. "It's not her. I can't believe I didn't see it."

Carly still didn't understand and was trying to patiently wait for an explanation, patience was so not one of her virtues. And just before she was going to demand for him to explain, Spinelli barreled down the stairs looking wide eyed and just as confused as she was.

"Stonecold?"

Grabbing the young kid by the arm, he practically dragged him over to the couch and forced him down in front of the laptop. "I need you to bring up the video from the airport, right now!" Looking at both of their baffled faces he finally explained. "Sam's alive." He let the words flow with so much joy and so much love he wanted to weep. Seeing that they still needed more, he continued. "The woman in that picture…." He said pointing to the picture in Carly's clenched hands. "…is not Sam. Sam doesn't have a nose piercing." He almost laughed when Carly shoved the picture closer to her face only to have Spinelli snatch it out of her hands to shove it in his own face. After they got their proof, both of them looked up with wide eyes and relief as well. "Oh my God." He heard Carly whisper and cover her mouth to hide her shock. He knew that Carly and Sam were never friends, they may not have liked each other but they did care for one other, just a little bit. He could still remember each fight that they had, they had gone against each other with no holds barred, with Sam usually the victor. Despite the feelings that were warring within him at that moment, he felt his lips curve up into a small smile just thinking about his fiery brunette fighting his best friend.

It was Spinelli's question that brought him back to the task at hand. "How could this be?"

"I think that Aidan has her. I think that that bastard switched Sam with this person and brought them to the air field. Come on Spinelli, I need you to look up that night, from all angles, I need you to make sure that you have the perfect view of Aidan." Jason stood back and watched Spinelli's fingers fly on the keyboard, he was once again thankful for his young friend. A few minutes later a few pictures came on the screen. "Play that one." Jason said as he pointed to the view that was facing the plane head on with the stairs of the plane on the right, directly behind where the Balkan and his men stood. All three stood back on bated breath and watched the events of that horrific night play out. He watched as the cars arrived one by one, until that last one, the SUV that Aidan was driving pulled up. They watched as the smug bastard got out and walked towards the back of the truck. Jason clenched his fists as the overwhelming urge to find the guy that stole Sam and squeeze the life out of him consumed him. He held his breath as he watched Aidan grab the woman from the back seat with her head covered. "He hid her face. That's how he got away with it. We thought that was Sam but it wasn't, she was just a decoy." He speared his hands through his hair in frustration. "SON OF A BITCH!" He whirled around and kicked the couch in his anger, causing both Carly and Spinelli to jump.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to reign in the beast that was desperately trying to take over. It wasn't the time to lose control, he needed it now more than ever. "You were right Spinelli. It didn't make sense." He said remembering what he told him when he came home. "He was so desperate to get his hands on her, why would he just give her over. He set this all up. And it happened exactly as planned. He betrayed the Balkan by setting up the plane to explode and made us all believe that Sam was dead while he kidnapped her." Going back to the screen for more answers to keep his anger cooled down, he pointed to Aidan's SUV, something in the back seat caught his eye. "Zoom in as close as you can." Silently he was begging as Spinelli intensified the zoom. He begged to be right, begged God to give Sam back to him… that's when he saw it, her beautiful form. The pixels were not clear enough to show the details, but he knew, he knew that was her, he would bet his life on it. Lying in the backseat of the SUV was the love of his life, Sam. Hearing both the people in the room gasp confirmed his suspicions. That was Sam. She was alive and he needed to get her back.

He sat once again to see the rest of the night unfold on the screen. Soon after the gun fight had already started and Aidan was running back to the SUV, threw it into drive and peeled out with Sam sleeping in the back seat. He watched Spinelli tap a few more keys, another camera picked up the SUV in motion, then another, then another, it was heading east. With every mile Aidan drove, he was taking Sam further and further away from him. Hearing Spinelli curse, Jason questioned him. "What's wrong?" He was looking now at a blank screen.

"The Jackal lost Fair Samantha and the Demented PI. They are nowhere to be found." Spinelli panicked as he was typing away.

Not being able to wait patiently for Spinelli to search the roads, Jason jumped up, he needed to take action. His instincts were screaming for him to get up and do something, anything. He couldn't sit there.

"Wait, Jason where are you going?" Carly jumped up as Jason completely shoved the desk out of the way to be able to open the door fully instead of just small enough for them to get through. She was thankful that Sam was alive, but now she was worried for Jason. Worried Jason makes mistakes, and one tiny mistake could get him killed. She wouldn't survive that.

He regretted destroying the place that held so many memories, but that's ok, he would remodel it, refurnish it and make new ones. As soon as he got Sam back. "I'm going to see Robin at the hospital." He yanked the door open to reveal Max and Milo looking up at him startled. He turned his attention to his two trusted guards. "I need you two stay here with Spinelli. Sam's alive." He held up his hand to stop them from asking him questions, he didn't want to waste anymore time. "Spinelli will explain it all, just make sure that you guys are ready when the time comes." He stepped back as Max and Milo rushed into the penthouse and asked Spinelli question after question. He could hear the relief in their exhales. So many people cared for Sam, and she was taken away from them all.

"Oh no." Carly gasped realizing something.

"What's wrong?" Jason questioned.

"Oh my God Jason, Alexis knows. Sonny told her and the girls about the explosion. They still think that she's dead."

He took a deep breath before he answered. "A part of me doesn't want to say anything until I have Sam back home and safe, but…" He saw the disagreement in Carly's eyes and he understood from a mother's point of view. "But I can't do that to her, or her sisters. Molly and Kristina loved Sam, they looked up to her, I can't let them believe that Sam is dead." He stood for a moment contemplating his predicament. He didn't want to waste any more time by going to the Lake House to speak to Alexis. Looking up at Carly, he just prayed that he was doing the right thing. "I need to get to Robin, I need to talk to her about her cousin, maybe she knows where he is. Spinelli needs to hunt Aidan's truck down, so he has to stay here. That leaves you Carly. I need you to go to Alexis and tell her and the girls that Sam is alive." Seeing her get ready to argue, he spoke up first. "You're the only one who knows how it feels to think you've lost a child. Just tell her how you felt and what you went through. Tell her everything you know and that I'm going to find her daughter and bring her back to us." Without waiting to hear her argument or objections, he ran out the door and down the stairs, not having enough patience to wait for the elevator. He was desperate to get to Sam.

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Twenty minutes later, Jason rushed off the elevators at General Hospital towards the nurse's station. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Robin looking over a chart. He felt bad for her that her own family did this to them, her own cousin. He was sure that she never knew that it was a repeat offense. On the way over to the hospital, Spinelli informed him that after much heavy digging and uncovering, he found out that a similar situation happened before in the city of Pine Valley. He kidnapped a woman, took her away from her family and friends. And when the woman's husband and the cops finally caught up with them, Special Ops stepped in and forced Aidan to return back to the field in exchange for immunity and a cover up. "Robin." Jason waited for her to look up at him with a sad smile. He could see the regret in her eyes, she was the one that called Aidan to come to Port Charles. He wanted to be mad at her, wanted to blame her but he couldn't, this was on Aidan's shoulders alone.

"Jason. I'm so sorry, I never knew Aidan would've done such a thing. And now Sam's gone…."

He could hear the heartbreak in her voice, see the tears cloud her eyes, he didn't want to say anything about Sam being alive yet but he needed Robin's help. "Sam's alive." He cut her off. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Look Robin, I don't have time to explain this, but she's alive and I think that Aidan has her. Spinelli saw them driving east, towards Canada. Can you think of anywhere that Aidan would go, anywhere where he would take her? There's a lot of open road on the way, lots of places for him to go. Can you think of anything, of anyplace that he would hide? Please Robin, I need your help."

She shook her head, giving her a minute to think but nothing came up. "No Jason, honestly I can't think of anything. God, I can't even believe that this is happening. He's my cousin, my family…. I just can't wrap my mind around it."

"Please Robin, just think, is there any house, any cabin, anything you or your family own around here."

"I'm sorry Jason, I don't know. My mother's side of the family is from England, my father from Australia. I don't know where he would've gone. We have nothing around here."

Seeing the tears fall down her face, he felt a pang of disappointment. On the way over, he thought about her maybe lying to cover up for her family, but seeing the look in her eyes, he knew she was telling the truth. She had no idea where Aidan was and Jason felt like he was back where he started from. "Thanks. Can you please, please let me know if he contacts you in anyway, please Robin, I know that he's your cousin but I need to find Sam." Hearing her agree and the sincerity behind it, he said his goodbyes and turned towards the elevators. He felt like he was blocked, but he wouldn't stop, he would never stop until he found Sam. Riding down the elevators, he called Spinelli. When the young kid picked up, Jason spoke before it was answered. "Spinelli. I need you to look up all of Aidan's financial records and freeze them. Freeze everything that he has, his accounts, cards, assets, everything. I need him to feel desperate as I am. And maybe then, he'll make a mistake. And when he does, I'll find him and kill him." He growled out his last words and hung up. Aidan was going to die a very slow and painful death.

 *************************************************

Carly couldn't believe that she was at the Lake House, getting ready to comfort a woman that she almost despised, but as a mother, she felt that it was her duty. Jason was right, if anybody understood what it felt like to think you've lost a child, it was her. Raising her hand, unwilling to drag out the inevitable, she knocked on the door and waited for the other woman to answer. Through the small windows, she saw Alexis walk towards the door and Carly's heart ached. She truly and honestly felt bad for what Alexis and her daughters were going through.

"Carly, now is not really a good time." Alexis was not up to seeing anyone tonight, or for a while, she just wanted her daughters, her remaining surviving daughters. Her heart ached, her soul ached, and her body felt as if it was plunged with a knife. Wiping the tears that would not stop falling, she was getting ready to shut the door only to have it stopped by Carly's hand.

"Wait, Alexis, I need to talk to you."

"Look, I'm in no mood to hear how sorry you are, I've been hearing that over the answering machine all day. Hell, even Ric called me to offer his condolences." She gave an unnatural chuckle just thinking about the message that Ric left her. At least hearing his voice comforted her youngest, Molly missed her sister and just hearing her father's voice helped her some.

"I'm sorry ok, but you need to hear me out…"

Seeing that Carly wasn't swayed just started to piss her off. "I don't need to hear anything you have to say, not you or your good for nothing ex-husband. Just… just…" She took a deep breath and tried to keep her tears back. She didn't want to cry, not now, and especially not in front of Carly. "I just want to be left alone…" Seeing as Carly was about to speak, Alexis spoke up again, barely managing to get the words out. "Please, I just want to be alone right now with my girls and mourn for my daughter."

"That's just the thing, you don't have to…." Carly wasn't sure what to say to get her to listen, desperate for the other woman to hear her out, Carly blurted out what was on the tip of her tongue as Alexis was closing the door in her face. "Sam's not dead!" She winced at how that sounded, almost as a screech and so not sympathetic.

"What?" Alexis stopped door an inch from closing on Carly's face, she wasn't sure if she heard her right.

Figuring this was the best course of action, Carly pushed the door gently and walked into the house, stopping until she was by the couch. Alexis was going to need to sit down for this. Taking a deep breath, Carly knew this was it. "Please come sit…" She sighed when Alexis didn't move a muscle since her outburst. "Ok, can you at least tell me how you feel? Not what you know, or what you think you know, just what's in your heart. What do you feel? Just for a moment, disconnect your head from your heart and tell me what your heart feels."

"Like she's here." No hesitation. She had no idea why Carly was asking her this question, but she felt her lips softly smile at the answer. "I feel like I haven't lost her, like something's missing, I… I don't feel like she gone."

"You know, when I thought I lost Michael, I felt the same. My mind was telling me that he was gone, but my heart… my heart wouldn't listen, wouldn't let go. And then Jason and Sam brought my little boy back to me. I knew he wasn't gone." Carly took a deep breath. "You're right Alexis, she's not gone. Sam's not dead."

"What?" Alexis staggered back at what she heard. Could it really be the truth? There was no way that Carly would be that cruel and lie to her. "No, no, Sonny told me what happened… with the Balkan and the… plane…."

"She wasn't on that plane. It was a look alike." Seeing the shock on the other woman's face, Carly walked over to her, took her hand and led her to the couch. "You need to sit down for this." Then she explained it all from the beginning, she told her everything she knew about the Balkan going after Brenda, about Aidan coming into town and his obsession with Sam, about everything that happened that horrible night and the pictures that told them the girl wasn't Sam.

"Oh God… my daughter is alive." Alexis gasped out as the tears fell from her eyes. "I knew, you know, I could still feel her in my heart. My daughter is alive, my baby girl is alive…"

"Mom?"

Alexis head whipped around towards the bedrooms, there stood Kristina and Molly, both with tears running down there cheeks from their beautiful brown wide eyes. Holding out her arms, she ushered them over to her, smiling as both her daughters came running towards her. "Is it true mom?" "Is Sam really alive?" Both Kristina and Molly in unison.

Smiling a genuine smile for the first time in what felt like days, Alexis answered. "Yes my babies, your sister is alive…."

Carly smiled with watery eyes as the family held each other in comfort and joy as they sobbed and laughed in relief. "And Jason is doing everything he can to find her." Carly said as she reached out to touch her hand. "I know you're tempted to call the cops, and that's your choice, but I know that Jason WILL find her."

Molly spoke up as she wiped her tears. "She's right mom, Jason loves Sam and he will find her." And Kristina agreed. "He won't let us down mom, I know it."

Alexis kissed first Molly's forehead, inhaling deeply, letting her essence wash over her before she did the same to Kristina. Sam was missing from their little family but she knew deep down that she will be found. "All of my daughters believe in Jason, I think…. It's time I believed in him as well."

 ************************************************

In the cabin out in the middle of the woods, Aidan was sitting next to Sam's bed as she stretched out and fluttered her chocolate eyes open. He had been waiting for this moment since he stopped giving her the drugs, wanting her to wake up, desperately needing to see her gorgeous eyes. Hearing her softly moan as she was waking up was making him feel things that he hadn't felt with any other woman. She was everything that he had ever wanted, and when she woke up, he would convince her that he was the better man for her, not Morgan.

Her head was throbbing when she woke up, she could feel a massive headache coming on and it was only getting worse by the second. When she finally had enough strength to open her eyes, she saw Aidan in front of her. Where was Jason? "Aidan?" She took a moment to look around the unfamiliar room before her eyes landed on his again. She was confused and the look in his eyes wasn't helping. "Where are we? What happened?"

"What do you remember?" He asked wanting to know what his next steps were, his next plan wouldn't work if she remembered that he was the one that drugged her. Chloroform has many effects on the brain, it plays with your memories and sometimes makes you forget the events right before the person was drugged. That was why it was effective out in the field, it was commonly used when kidnapping government officials or leaders.

Thinking for a moment, Sam tried to recall the last things that she could remember. She remembered rushing Jason to the hospital because he was drugged, she would have panicked instantly if she didn't remember that he had woken up and that he was ok. She remembered going home to find out who drugged him and Brenda, remembering entering Jason's penthouse and then… nothing… blank. "I remember going home from the hospital, but that's it." She was hoping he would fill in the blanks, tell her what happened between that time to waking up in a strange room. "What happened? Where's Jason?"

Aidan would have shouted for joy that she didn't remember him drugging her, but he held it in, he took a deep breath to implement his plan. "You were drugged." Her eyes widened. "The Balkan was the one that had Jason drugged and he found a way into the penthouse again. You were alone, so they drugged and kidnapped you. Jason, Sonny and I worked together, we found out the Balkan's hideout and rescued you…"

"The Balkan did this? Why?" Looking around the room again and listening for anyone else in the house, she realized that it was quiet, too quiet. "Where's Jason?" She took a moment to study him, he was looking at her with… pity? Panic started to rise, her heart was beating triple time, she didn't know what he was about to say but whatever it is, it couldn't be good, she could already feel an ache in her heart. "Aidan, please, just tell me." She implored him, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "Where's Jason?"

This was it, this was his moment. "I'm sorry Sam, Jason is gone." Seeing the look of disbelief on her face, he decided to push this further, after all he was doing this for her, for them. In time, when they were far away from Port Charles, she will see that it was for the best. She was saying "No" over and over again, pleading with him to tell her otherwise, but it was too late, he had to follow through. "We ambushed the Balkan's lair, we found you in one of the rooms, and when we were leaving, Jason was shot in the chest…"

"NO! NO! YOU'RE LYING! NO!" She screamed as she through the covers off of her, needing to get up, needing to leave so that she can find Jason and prove that he was alive. She couldn't believe it, it wasn't real. "NO, no, no, no…. Oh God **NOOOOO!"**

He grabbed her as she was struggling to get off the bed, he held her tight to his chest as she fought to be freed, the entire time she was yelling at him as she pounded on his chest. His heart clenched at the thought of hurting her, of lying to her, but it was for her own good. In time she will come to realize that he was the one for her, that he loves her, that he would do anything for her. And one day, she will love him in return. As she cried with everything that she had, he couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Time had no meaning for the current emotional state that Sam was in, time meant nothing, not here, not where she was still in shock over the news that Aidan had delivered to her. What seemed like a lifetime of pain and darkness were only a couple of days. A couple days of nothing. She barely slept, barely ate and was barely able to get her mind to work. Ever since Aidan had told her that Jason was gone, Sam had asked him to leave her alone and that was the last she had ever spoken since then. She spent her entire time laying in this bed and staring out the window. She felt like she was dying inside. Correction. She already felt dead. How was she supposed to go on living her life without him? How was she supposed to do it alone? She needed him. It was never about wanting him around, it was never about wanting to see his beautiful blue eyes, or his radiant smile, or see the mischief in his eyes when he has a surprise planned for her, feel his touch when he wrapped his strong arms around her… she didn't just want those things, she NEEDED them.

She made the mistake once of having Jason the center of her universe, made the mistake of not having anyone to turn to but Jason, but this time it was different, this time she had a family, her mom, her sisters, her cousin, and she had Maxie and Spinelli. So why did she feel the same pain from the first time she lost him? Why did she feel like her entire world is crumbling all around her? Why did it still hurt so much? No matter how much she pushed for her independence, fight so that she could be smarter, stronger, more in control of her own life, it suddenly didn't matter to her anymore. Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered…. without Jason.

Without Jason. She still couldn't believe it, still couldn't believe that he was gone, that he was never coming back. Her mind would replay what Aidan told her over and over again, but it just didn't seem right, it seemed like something was missing. And the more she thought about it, the more she tried to remember that night. She remembered walking into the penthouse, talking to Spinelli and setting up the laptops but that's it, after that it gets really fuzzy. If she concentrated hard enough, she could see the shape of a man standing close to her but then it would fade away as fast as it came in. The more she tried, the worse her headaches would be.

Hearing the door open, she finally lifted up her eyes to look at Aidan for the first time in a couple of days. The look of shock on his face at her acknowledgment made her feel guilty. He was her friend, trying to protect her from the Balkan, and she was ignoring him. "Samantha?" The way he said her name, a question filled with hope, increased her guilt. She watched as he stepped further into the room with a tray of food and water with somewhat shaking hands. She heard it rattle as he placed it on the night stand next to the table and took a seat in the chair next to the bed, all while staring at her as if she wasn't real. Reaching for the water bottle, she took a few sips then set it back down. Lifting her eyes to meet his for the first time in a long time, she cleared her throat and finally spoke. "Thank you." She whispered out brokenly.

Finally, FINALLY after so long she looked at him with those beautiful brown eyes. Sad brown eyes, but he vowed that he will change that one day. Her voice was husky, washing over him like the warm tide, cleansing him, invigorating him, he couldn't help the sudden erection that he had just imaging what his name would sound like from her lips as he pushed inside of her. "How are you feeling?"

Swallowing hard, she averted her eyes and tried desperately to hold back the sob that was desperate to escape. She answered the only word that came to mind. "Lost." Shaking her head and biting her bottom lip, she tried to express her feelings. "I feel like I'm dying inside …like I'm drowning. I feel like I'm a million miles from shore and there's no land. And Jason… Jason was my lifeline…" Her last words were broken, half cried out and half muffled as she covered with her hand trying to keep her sobs at bay. Dropping her hand after wiping her eyes, she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry…"

"What are you sorry for?" He looked at her in shock, an apology was the last thing that he expected. Reaching carefully, he touched her hand and his skin came alive. Her touch was magic and he treasured it, but he was feeling daring. When she didn't pull away, Aidan wrapped his hand around hers and picked it up. His heart nearly exploded when she didn't yank it back, she let him hold her hand, let him comfort her, let him bring her soft skin to his eager lips. Kissing the back of her hand, he never released it, holding it close to him. "Samantha, you have nothing to be sorry for. It should be me who needs to apologize to you. I'm sorry for all the pain that you are going through. And believe me, if I could, I would take away all your pain for my own."

"No, you've been so good to me, protecting me, making sure I'm safe and healthy. My God Aidan, you've been taking care of me and I haven't said one word of gratitude to you…."

"I know your still hurting over Morgan." He had to hide his disgust. He hated seeing her morn for another man, hated to see her hurt, but it was for her own good. One day, she will come to realize that. She lowered her head and nodded. He felt joy when she used her free hand to wipe her tears instead of pulling the one that he still grasped next to his heart. "I'm not going to pretend that I liked the man, but… I know how much you lov… loved him." He swallowed the bile that rose. "And I'm sorry for your loss."

Nodding her head, not being able to acknowledge his condolences, she switched topics as she slowly pulled her hand free away from his. For a second, something flashed in his eyes but it was quickly gone. "Have you heard from Sonny?"

Aidan shook his head. "No. Not for awhile." He was careful on what to answer, having rehearsed the plan and his words a thousand times. "The last I spoke to him, he told me to keep you safe and hidden."

"Right." She nodded, remembering his words from before. She knew that Sonny would be on top of everything, especially now that Jason was….. no, she wouldn't think of it, couldn't think of him being gone. If only she could talk to her mom, maybe her mom would know what to say, to lessen some of the pain. But if the Balkan was still out there, she didn't want to get her family involved. "Can I please use your phone to call Sonny? I want to make sure that my family are ok and that they know that I'm safe." She held out her hand, expecting him to offer it to her freely.

"I'm sorry Samantha, I can't do that." He hated to deny her anything but if she contacted Sonny then his plan was shot to hell. No. She would never be able to see or speak to her family and friends ever again.

"What do you mean? Aidan, I need to make sure that they are safe. Please, just let me use your phone." She pleaded.

Standing up, Aidan started to pace to release some of his aggravation. "I CAN'T let you call Sonny… or anyone. The Balkan might have his phones tapped or even traced, and if they find out where we are, they will be coming for us." He stopped in front and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Sonny told me to keep you hidden and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"For how long?"

"For as long as it takes to make sure that you are safe." Turning around, he walked towards the door. "I'm going to town for some groceries and some other items. Do you require anything?"

Not being able to think of anything but the definite command in his tone, she just shook her head no and slumped back against the pillow as he walked out. There was only one thing she wanted and that was… Jason.

 ************************************************

Scrubbing his hands over his tired face, Jason was getting increasingly infuriated as each second without word of Sam's whereabouts passed by. In the past couple of days, since finding out the woman he loved was still alive, he and Spinelli had been on phone and the computer non-stop trying to bring her back. He had Bernie and all his men on the job as well. That bastard Aidan had kidnapped her and they had no idea where she was.

Hearing a knock on the door, Jason stood up from the sofa that Spinelli currently occupied as well and headed for the door. He opened it up, not surprised to see Alexis standing there with Nikolas behind her. After Carly had left Alexis' that day, he was paid a visit by her. She wanted to know what he was doing to make sure that she got her daughter back and she wanted to let him know that she trusted him to do it. THAT shocked the hell out of him. She had called him on the hour, every hour since. "No Alexis, I haven't heard anything about Sam yet." Getting ready to close the door and go back to work, he was stopped when she pushed the door open and marched in. Jason felt like he was going to drop any minute now, having no sleep for the past few days, he didn't have the energy to argue with her.

"What the hell is taking so long? Have you tried…."

Jason held up his hand to stop her from rambling….. just like Sam. "I've had Spinelli freeze all of his accounts, he can't so much as spend a penny without alerting us. We're watching the airports, train stations, bus stations, and car rental companies for any sign of them. Devane is going to run out of money soon and when he uses his cards, we're going to find them." And then he's going to kill him. He chose to leave that last part out even though he knew that Alexis was thinking the same way.

Another knock on the door had Jason groaning again. He didn't need any more visitors, he just wanted Sam. Opening the door, Jason was tempted to slam it back against the man's face. "What do you want?" He chose to forgo the pleasantries; he was so not in the mood for them right now.

Sonny was hoping that Jason would have cooled down by now, at least to the point where he would be able to see reason. Brenda was the love of his life and he was only protecting her. He was incredibly sorry that Sam was caught in the crossfire, he never meant for it to happen. "Look Jason, I just wanted to apologize again and to tell you…."

"I don't want to hear it." Jason held up his hand to stop the man from talking a whole lot of nothing. "I have given my whole to life to make sure that you and your family were safe. I protected you, I protected them, and this is how you repay me?"

"I'm sorry but I couldn't let Brenda go, she's not like Sam, I had to protect her…."

"You're right, she's not like Sam, she will NEVER be like Sam. You should've trusted me when I asked you to, you should've trusted me to protect her. I had a chance Sonny, a chance to get Sam back and you ruined it."

"I'm sorry…" Sonny whispered out.

"Yeah, I know. You didn't trust me…." When he saw Sonny shake his head in denial, Jason pressed on. "You didn't trust me to help you, so how in the hell am I ever going to trust you?"

"I trust you Jason, I swear, it was never about that. I just couldn't let Brenda do it, come on, you would've done the same if it were Sam."

Having heard enough, Alexis pushed her way in front of Jason, ready to confront Sonny again. Natasha was coming out to play. "You may be right Sonny, Jason would've have done anything to protect Sam. He would've given his life to protect her and the same goes for you and your family. YOU should've done the same for HIM." Not wanting to see him anymore and had more important matters to deal with, Alexis slammed the door in his face. And it felt good.

 *********************************************

"I'm sorry sir but your card is declined… again." The grocery store cashier said as she handed his card back. This was the second time she swiped it through, not including the other two times when she manually punched in the numbers or the other cards he had. The teenager was due for her break soon and she was getting annoyed. The man was hot and all but he was flat broke.

Aidan couldn't believe that this was happening to him, card after card after card had been declined. What the hell was going on? "Uh… thanks anyways… sorry…" He was trying to be polite, trying not to draw unwanted attention to himself, but what he really wanted to do was go mental all over the store. Leaving his items that he picked, he walked out and headed for the SUV he had stolen from the Balkan. Flipping the card over, he pulled out his phone and called the bank. After going through ten automated menus and waiting over five minutes, he was finally transferred to someone that would be able to help him only to tell him "I'm sorry Mr. Devane, but all of your accounts have been closed out." WHAT?! There was over half a million dollars in his accounts, including his credit cards and they were all gone. "SON OF A BITCH!" He yelled out as he slammed his fists on the steering wheel. He could only think of one man that had that kind of power, and that was his Special Ops Leader. (Not realizing that it was actually Jason.) They wanted him back, but he won't go. He had too much to look forward to now, he had Samantha.

 **********************************************

It was eerily quiet back at the penthouse, the only sound that echoed off the walls was the constant pacing that Jason was doing back and forth behind the couch. He could barely contain himself, barely control the anger and anxiousness that was flowing through his bloodstream. He was impatient and he didn't know how much longer he was going to last. He was desperate to find Sam, desperate to bring her back home safe and sound.

Back and forth, back and forth, and again, and again, Jason was pacing and it was making Alexis dizzy. She was already feeling nauseous waiting on news of her daughter, but then add the dizziness and she was ready to do a dance with the toilet. She didn't know how much longer she could sit there, her leg was doing a whole lot of shaking, her nerves were shot and she figured that having that third cup of coffee was NOT helping matters much. But it was comfort and that's what she needed while she waited, and waited, and waited watching Jason pace back and forth, back and forth. "Would you please sit down?!"

"I can't." Was his only reply as he kept up with the pacing.

"Look." Alexis stood abruptly and went to him. "I know what you're feeling, ok? I'm scared and anxious to hear any news as much as you are. We all are, that's what we're here for and with Spinelli's help, we will find something, you just have to believe that. And believe me I feel the same way, but we need to remain calm, we need to be patient, we need…."

Jason's eyed widened knowing with all the fast talking and hard breathing that she was doing was going to send right into an attack. "Alexis…"

"We need… we need…. OH! …. is it hot in here? What's the temperature at? 100?" Fanning herself with one hand, Alexis lifted her hair off her shoulders with the other as she made her way to the couch.

"Alexis?" Nikolas saw his aunt starting to hyperventilate and immediately went into the kitchen, coming back five seconds later with a paper bag. She was still yammering away and her breathing was getting much quicker. "Here, you just need to breath, just calm down."

"I AM CALM!" She snatched the bag from his hands and breathed in and out. The paper bag's collapsing and expanding noise was now added to the sound of Jason's boots pacing the floor. Breathing in and out, and pacing back and forth, lasted for about another five minutes until everyone froze when a sudden beeping came over the computer.

Immediately, Spinelli jumped to attention, his fast fingers flying over the keys. "We have a hit!" Alexis and Nikolas huddled tight around Spinelli as Jason took quick steps to the closet to retrieve his gun and jacket. "The evil one tried to use his canceled card at Dash Market on Main Street in Akron, New York."

"Akron? What the hell is he doing in Akron?" Nikolas questioned out loud, he wasn't clear on the answer but when he and Alexis both looked up at Jason, Nikolas' eyes grew wide at the realization. Aidan was heading west on Toll Road 90 and the only reason for that would be….

"He's taking her into Canada." Jason barely managed through clenched teeth. He could already feel how flat his molars were getting from all the jaw clenching and grinding that he had been doing since Sam was gone. Without waiting for… anything, Jason tucked his 9mm into his waistband and grabbed his jacket as he was walking out the door just as Lucky was about to knock. "Send the address to the GPS." Without acknowledging the man before him, he dodged out of the way and ran down the stairs before Lucky had a chance to talk. He came to offer his condolences to Jason, but the other man seemed to have other plans.

"What's going on?"

Alexis' head quickly spun to Nikolas, not knowing what to say and hopefully saying everything with her eyes. The only people that knew that Sam was alive were Jason, Spinelli, Nikolas, Alexis, her daughters, and Carly. Thankfully Nikolas knew what her look was asking of him. He grabbed his jacket and keys and was walking toward his brother. "Spinelli, text me the address of the market, Lucky and I are going too." Before Lucky had the chance to ask again, Nikolas grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. "Come on, I'll explain on the way."

 ***********************************************

She couldn't stay in bed anymore, she couldn't handle being alone or the quiet, she didn't need rest and she certainly didn't WANT it. All she wanted was Jason. Every second she thought of him, her heart would break more and more, she wondered what was left of her heart, of what was left of her. Feeling her throat about to seize up, she yanked the covers off and stood up from the bed. She had to pause a moment to ease the dizziness that she felt. She had been in bed for days and the only time she would get up was to go the bathroom. But no more, she couldn't do this anymore.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle in the almost bare fridge. Aidan had gone out to get more supplies, which was a good thing as she looked at the only few items that were left. Twisting the cap, she took a few deep gulps and relished the feeling of the cool liquid gliding down her parched throat. She sat the bottle on the counter and something on the wall to her left caught her eye. She turned to find an and old phone in the corner of the counter. Thinking about what Aidan, she weighed the chances of Sonny's phone being traced. All she needed was a few seconds, just one question she needed to ask him. Her head knew what Aidan said but her heart, no matter how broken it was, was having a hard time wrapping around the fact that Jason was gone. She needed confirmation and she needed Sonny to give it to her.

Her heart won. Lifting the receiver and placing it to her ear, she reached up to punch in the buttons but realized… no dial tone. She felt a wave of defeat. She needed to make that call. And as she was putting the receiver back, her hand stopped in mid air at the wires that she saw sticking out of the phone. Someone had tampered with them. Picking up the phone base, she took it apart and made quick work of patching up the wires. A small smile graced her lips as she heard the dial tone. As she reached over to press the numbers for her call, she realized that her fingers were dialing Jason's number by auto. She quickly hung up. No, she couldn't call him. Tears slid down her cheeks without her realizing how blurry her vision had gotten or how tight her chest felt. If she called his number and it went straight to voice mail, then that in a way was her confirmation. She couldn't handle that, she wouldn't be able to make it. Dialing again, more carefully now to make sure that she dialed Sonny's number, she put the receiver to her ear and waited as the phone rang.

Sonny was sitting at his desk in the dark, a glass of the finest scotch in his hand. He wasn't supposed to drink while he was on medication, he knew it was wrong to relish and enjoy the burn, but he couldn't help it. His life was falling apart all around him. Because of his actions, he lost a friend who was in a way the mother of his child, lost his best friend, Carly was mad at him, Alexis hated him, and his children wouldn't even talk to him. But at least he had Brenda. She vowed never to leave him, no matter how tough life was going to be and he believed her, he needed to believe her, he needed her in his life. He felt like shit, Jason was right, Sonny jumped the gun and because of it, Sam was dead.

The phone on his desk broke him from his depression, picking it up, he cleared his throat and answered. "Hello? Hello?" No answer. He was not in the mood to play this game. Preparing to hang up, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a whisper from the grave. "Sonny? Sonny?" She repeated when he didn't say a word.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he answered. "Sam? Is that really you?"

Sam heard the phone cutting out and knew that the phone call wouldn't last too long, she didn't do a good job on the wiring, she was too shaken up, too much in a hurry to care. "Is it true? Is Jason really…. gone?" She managed to get out, struggling as she held back her sobs. Her tears were nonstop and she didn't know how much longer she could hold on.

"Oh my God Sam! We thought you were dead…. Where are you?"

"Please, just tell me… is it true? Is he….?"

"What? Sam?" The phone kept on cutting out and Sonny was getting frustrated fast. "Sam! Just tell me where you are. Where are you?"

"I…. I don't know…" She looked around the cabin, outside the windows for any landmarks or signs. She remembered what Aidan said and she probably figured that it was for the best. "Please Sonny, ….. tell…..is…..Jas….. go…?

"Damn it Sam, your breaking up. Say again! Where…"

The phone cut out completely and she couldn't hold back any longer. The sob that she was fighting desperately to hold back broke free and she couldn't stop it. Setting the receiver back down, she wiped her eyes and turned, only to run into… Aidan. He was holding up the other end of the wire that was connected to the wall. He had yanked the wire out and Sam could see that he was mad as hell.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 **"** **Damnit!"** Sonny slammed the phone down on the receiver hearing the dial tone after it was cut off. He couldn't believe it, Sam was alive and she called him of all people. He tried replaying the strange conversation that he had with her, she kept asking about Jason, so why didn't she just call Jason instead of him? Maybe that didn't matter, maybe she just couldn't get a hold of anyone, the important thing was that Sam was alive and Jason and her family think she's dead. Picking up the phone, he dialed Jason's number hoping that the man he called brother wouldn't hang up the phone in his face.

Jason grip on the steering wheel was so tight that his knuckles were completely white. Visions of Aidan's murder were dancing in his mind like a freakin Broadway Musical. Doctors said that his brain damage wouldn't let him dream, but they couldn't be more wrong because Jason dreamed and he dreamed big. He dreamed of Aidan's blood running down his hands as he punched into his chest and ripped out his heart, watching as the other man died slowly and painfully. Oh yes, he could dream. The sound of his cell phone ringing brought him back to reality. He held it up to see the caller ID, Sonny. He stared at the name for a few seconds wondering what the other man wanted. But the real question was… Did he care? Not really. He ignored the looks he received from Lucky and Nikolas and kept his eyes on the road. He needed to focus on finding Sam not dealing with some crisis that Sonny found himself in the middle of. Letting the call go to voicemail, he gripped the wheel once again and this time he dreamed of having Sam in his arms once again.

Voicemail. Sonny hung up, not sure what to think and wouldn't admit that his friend ignored his called, Sonny called the penthouse. He was slightly disappointed when he heard Alexis answer. Sighing, Sonny realized that since he was the one to tell her that Sam was dead, then it was only fitting that he be the one to tell her that Sam was really alive. "Alexis…"

"Sonny, I don't have time for you right now, I'm in the middle of my own crisis, I do NOT have time to deal with yours. Call Diane!"

"NO, Alexis don't…." Before he could finish that sentence, the dial tone interrupted him. She hung up. And she told him to call Diane. Damn it! For once in his life, this was NOT about him. "MAX!" He shouted as he headed for the door. "Get the car!" Apparently he needed to do this face to face since no one wanted to listen to him long enough for him to tell them that Sam was alive. He knew he messed up, and this would give him the chance to make it up to his friends.

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She could tell that he was pissed, pissed and trying his best to control his temper. The proof was in the way his fists clenched the disconnected wire so hard that they turned white. She knew that she wasn't supposed to call anyone, he had told her not to, told her that it wasn't safe, and she believed him, she knew that he would protect her, he had already risked so much for her, but she couldn't help it. A part of her still didn't want to believe that Jason was dead, her soul still couldn't accept it, and she just thought that if she heard it from Sonny that it would make it real. She could hear his harsh breaths, seeing the dark flush of anger tint his cheeks, she knew he was trying to control his temper so she started to apologize. "Aidan, I'm so…." She was immediately cut off.

"Who did you call?"

The tone of his voice was void of all emotion, cold, so unlike him. For a second, just a split second she was afraid of him, but she knew that he wouldn't hurt her. Right? Her voice shook when she spoke and she could feel the tears building once again. "Look, I'm really sorry, ok, I just… I just…."

"WHO DID YOU CALL?!"

She flinched so hard that she jumped back in shock. He had never, NEVER spoken to her in that tone, that harsh, unforgiving dangerous tone. He was always sweet, always gentle with her and patient, never like this. She realized then that there was a part of Aidan that she never really knew. She didn't want to add more fuel to the fire so she answered him. "Sonny." She knew he would ask why, and instead of waiting for him to ask, she volunteered. "I needed to know. I needed to hear it from him." The "it", meaning Jason's death. She still couldn't say it out loud, it broke her soul to think about it.

"I told you what happened, I told you everything you needed to know. MY word should have been ENOUGH!"

"I guess it wasn't enough, Aidan." She felt the tears fall and let them stay there. She didn't have the strength to brush them away and she sure as hell didn't have the strength to argue with him. She was too tired, too tired to deal with anything. "I thought… I thought that if I heard Sonny confirm it, then… then it would become real…." She choked on the sob that was about to break free. "I needed… I needed him to tell me… to hear it from him… but I couldn't really hear him… and then the phone… the phone disconnected."

"I already told you Samantha, I spoke to him, I spoke to Sonny. He knows where you are and he told me to keep you safe and that's what I'm trying to do. Now, please, go get some rest, I'll have dinner ready by the time you wake up. Ok?"

She felt his arms wrap around her and for the first time since she has met him, she felt unsafe. She almost wanted to cringe away from him, as if a small part of her mind was cautioning her, telling her to turn away. Heeding the warning, she did just that. Nodding her head, she turned and headed back to the bedroom.

Sinking down on the bed, she wrapped her arms around her body and rubbed them. She was cold even though the temperature in the room was fine, she felt chilled. Something wasn't right, something was bothering her. She thought about Aidan's words, his reaction to her using the phone, the cold tone of his voice, his stiff posture. It didn't seem to sit right with her. She thought back to the brief, broken conversation that she had with Sonny, and then it hit her. Her eyes widened in realization when she remembered hearing him saying, "Oh my God Sam! We thought you were dead…. Where are you?". If Sonny knew everything then how come he didn't know that she was alive?

Her eyes immediately lifted to the bedroom door, the small panel of wood that separated her from Aidan. Could he have lied to her? Could there be more to Aidan that she didn't know? Could Jason have been right about Aidan all along? The grief swept through her again, like a tidal wave, crashing down on her. Oh God… Jason… She couldn't do this, she couldn't break down like that any longer. She had to get her emotions in check, had to control herself so she could find out what the hell was really going on because something wasn't right. Something was seriously wrong with this picture, and Aidan was suddenly acting like the enemy. She needed to get back home.

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Carefully knocking on the door, Sonny tried to hold back the urge to just bang through it. He would've barged in if the damn door wasn't locked. He lost his cool. "DAMN IT ALEXIS, OPEN UP!" He didn't pause to hear anything, didn't pause to check if someone was on their way, he banged on the door this time, harder. "JASON? SPINELLI? OPEN THIS DOOR!" He was about to pound again when his fist suddenly met air and he had to grab a hold of the wall to keep from falling forward by the sudden opening of the door.

"What the hell is the matter with you? Huh? What do you want?" Alexis was fuming, nostrils flaring, eyes narrowed and she was close, so close to kicking his ass. She hadn't heard from Jason, not Lucky, or even from Nikolas. Spinelli had deserted her and ran away to his bedroom to do his tracking their out from under her eye and she had no idea what to do but to sit here and wait and pace and hyperventilate.

"What is the matter with me? What is the matter with you? Why did you hang up on me?" Looking around the penthouse, he realized that it was empty. "Where's Jason, I need to talk to him, to both of you?" He pushed past her without waiting for an invitation.

"Damn it Sonny!" Alexis slammed the door in Max's shocked face before she whirled around to give the other man a piece of her mind. "I told you, Jason is busy and none of us want to hear your problems…."

Throwing his hands up in the air, he couldn't contain the shout. "Oh for God's sake, this isn't about me!"

"Then what is this about?" Alexis gave up, the faster he said what he needed, the faster he would leave. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

Taking a deep breath, Sonny nodded then began. "I was sitting at home when I got a call. When I picked it up, I didn't hear anything, then there was static and it seemed that the phone was cutting out…"

"Oh just get to the point."

He took a deep breath, she was right, there was no sense in stalling, she needed to know. "It was Sam. Sam is alive." At first he thought the shock was from Alexis not believing that her daughter was alive but her next words confused him.

"Oh my God, what did she say? Did she say where she was? Did she say anything that could tell us where he has her?" She lost her patience when she saw the confusion on Sonny's face. "Oh for God's sake, I couldn't get you to shut up and NOW you want to play mute. What did my daughter say!?" She shouted out hoping to jar him from his stupor.

"Wait… wait…" Sonny shook his head to get over the shock of what he just realized. "You KNEW? You knew that Sam was alive?"

"Of course I knew, I'm her mother. Now tell me what she said."

"How did you know? Did she call you too?"

"Never mind that right now, just tell me… Did she tell you where she was?"

Automatically shaking his head, Sonny answered her. "No. It wasn't a good connection, she kept on cutting out, but I heard her voice."

Taking a small comfort in that, Alexis felt her eyes tear up. She missed her baby girl and she wanted more than anything to hold her. She didn't know why Sam would call only Sonny, not sure what her daughter's thoughts were, she just knew that she couldn't sit still any longer. Feeling more determined than ever, she grabbed her coat and purse and grabbed a good strong hold of Sonny's sleeve. "Come on." She yanked the door open and started to pull him out. "I'll tell you everything on the way to Akron."

"Akron? What's in Akron?"

"My baby girl and your enforcer."

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He waited until she closed the bedroom door before Aidan snatched the phone off the counter and stormed out of the cabin. He couldn't hold it in any longer, couldn't hold back the anger that was consuming his soul. She almost ruined it, she almost bloody RUINED IT. "SON OF A BITCH!" He smashed the phone down on the railing, once, twice, more, harder and harder until it shattered beneath his grip. Taking a deep breath, he tried to rein it in, tried to force the rage down, he couldn't get upset with her, he couldn't show this side of him. Samantha was just being curious, curious and cautious. Of course, he would expect nothing less from her. He knew her, he knew the woman he loved. It pissed him off to no end knowing how much she grieved for Morgan's supposed death, but he couldn't hold it against her. Morgan brainwashed her into thinking that she loved him. But no longer. He has her now and he will do everything he can to keep her. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and dialed the only person he knew that would help him.

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Robin was at her desk going over her patient's files. She wanted to hurry, to do her best to get it done so that she could get home in time to have dinner with her family. Patrick had finished early and picked up Emma, now she wanted to join them desperately. The shrill of her cell phone startled her. She groaned thinking that it was for another consult. "Doctor Scorpio here."

"Robin? Robin… I need your help."

She was shocked to hear his voice on the other line. "Aidan? Oh God Aidan, what have you done?"

"Please… Robin, you're my family, the only person I can trust…"

Her eyes misted at the desperation she heard in his voice. He was her family and she couldn't believe that he would do something like this. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. At least she prayed it was. "Is it true? Do you have Sam?"

"Yes. Yes I have her."

She couldn't believe the disappointed she felt. "How could you do this? Aidan, everyone thinks Sam is dead, her family, her sisters, her mother, Jason…."

"FUCK MORGAN!"

She jumped at the roar, she had never heard that from her cousin, never heard that side of him. She guessed she never really knew him, especially to do something as horrific as this. "What's going on? Please Aidan, you have to bring her back?"

"I can't. She… she… doesn't want to come back Robin. She loves me and she wants to be with me, not Morgan. And I need your help… please… I have no one else to turn to. Samantha and I want to start our new life together. We love each other."

She closed her eyes as the silent tears fell. Hearing the desperation tone in his voice reminded her too much of Lisa. She knew he was lying, she knew the love that Jason and Sam shared was out of this world, overwhelming at times the love that they have for each other. She knew because it was the same love that she shared with Patrick. She loved him more than life itself and she would do anything for him, even kill Lisa. And that's what Jason would do. He will kill Aidan. She wanted to help her friend, wanted to do anything she could for him, but how is she supposed betray her cousin, her family, her blood. Maybe if she could get to him first, talk to him, make him see that he needed professional help. And if that failed, then she would call Jason. "Ok, ok Aidan, what do you need?" She could hear his sigh and it broke her heart. He came to Port Charles because of her, he came to protect her and now she needed to try to protect him.

"I need money, as much as you can spare and I swear that I will pay you back. Please Robin, I need this."

She forcibly swallowed the sob down her throat, and tried with all her might to keep her voice calm when she felt anything but. "Where do you want to meet?"

"I can't be away from Samantha too far so I need you to come to Akron. Meet me in Akron Falls County Park in two hours. Thank you, oh thank you Robin for helping me. I knew I could count on you. And thank you for introducing me to Samantha, I owe it all to you."

He hung up before the cry broke free from her lips. It was all her fault, she had brought him here. But how did she know? How could she have known? Hanging up the phone, she stared at it for a moment. Should she call Jason? And if she did, how was she going to keep him from killing Aidan? She knew she wouldn't be able to. Hopefully she would be able to talk to her cousin and get him some help. Grabbing her keys and purse, she ran out the door making a quick call to Patrick, telling him that she was going to be late. She couldn't tell him the whole truth, he wouldn't let her go if he knew that she was going to try to stop her cousin from going totally insane… just like Lisa.

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Hearing his cell phone ring, Jason yanked it out of his pocket. His patience was wearing thin and his rage was out of control, he needed to concentrate and think of a plan, he didn't need the interruption. "What?" He growled out.

"Jason, it's Cody, we got a hit. Aidan called Robin Scorpio a few minutes ago. We had her phone tapped. He asked her for a lot of money and to meet him."

"Where?" His tone was emotionless despite the elation that he was feeling that he finally had something more to go on, something that would bring him that much closer to Sam.

"He told her to meet him in Akron Falls County Park in two hours. Milo and I are on our way, following Doctor Scorpio. She stopped at the bank first." After hearing Jason agree, he added. "But there could be a problem. Apparently Sonny and Alexis are on their way to Akron as well. Max called and told us that somehow Sam called Sonny…."

"What?" Jason heart stopped at the mention of her name. She called Sonny? Why not him? "Why would she call Sonny?"

"We don't know, Max said that the line was really bad and the phone cut out. Sonny tried to call you but you didn't answer, so he went to the penthouse. The next thing Max knows is Alexis threatening him and making him take Sonny and her to Akron."

Feeling a pang of guilt for not answering his phone when Sonny called to tell him about Sam, Jason pushed it aside instantly. "I don't need this shit. I don't NEED any more complications. I want to find that bastard and KILL HIM! And I NEED to find Sam." Taking a deep breath to control himself, Jason spoke again. "Call Max, see if you can make them turn around and head back to Port Charles while you follow Robin. She might be a problem." Hanging up the phone after Cody accepted his orders, he was immediately questioned by Nikolas and Lucky. Not willing to risk Sam's life any further, he told them the plan. They would keep Robin occupied while he made sure to care of Aidan. With pleasure.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Pulling into the drive to Akron Falls, Jason's body was humming with anticipation, nervousness, anger, and a small measure of fear. In a few moments he would be seeing Aidan, his fists clenching in anticipation to be wrapped around his throat as he squeezed the last breath out of him, but what about Sam? Would she be with him? Was she ok? He had to fight back the fear that tried to overcome, that tried to take over his control, he couldn't let that happen. Finding all of his strength to keep the anger in control and the beast of rage leashed within him, Jason forced his mind to take over, not his emotions. He needed a clear head tonight.

"Jason?" Lucky broke into his thoughts. Jason listened without turning to acknowledge the other man as he parked the SUV under a thick cover of trees and bushes that faced the falls from the side and turned off the engine. His protective and possessive instincts were so on over drive that if he even looked at the ex lover of the woman he loved, he would destroy him. The beast in him roared in the outrage of it all, it prowled and paced the cage of his psyche, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, to rescue his mate, to claim her, to mark her as his, but not yet…. not until he killed and destroyed the obstacles in his way. "You can't kill him, man." Lucky spoke again even when Jason didn't acknowledge. No doubt the younger man thought to appeal to the man within him, but Jason was no man any longer. "I'm a cop, you can't kill the guy and think that I'll be able to cover this up for you." He heard Lucky sigh as if he wasn't getting through to Jason. He was right, there was no talking him out of his intents were Aidan was concerned. And just when Lucky was about to spew some more garbage from his trap, Nikolas broke in from the backseat.

"Lucky…" Nikolas' voice was strong and cold. "If that son of a bitch hurt my cousin, you won't have to worry about Jason… I will be the one to kill him."

The tone of his voice caused Jason's eyes to catch his for the briefest of moments in the rear view mirror. For once he was thankful that he wasn't alone, thankful that he had Sam's family with him. Nikolas may be a prince, but years of living and surviving under Helena's attempts to control hardened him. Jason knew that he was serious, and so was he. The only difference was that Jason never agreed to hand Aidan over to Lucky on a silver platter to be dealt with by the PCPD, as far as Jason was concerned, Aidan was a dead man walking.

A flash of headlights caught their attention and had all three heads turned to watch a small car pull into the park. Robin. They watched her step out of the car with a bag in hand. After closing the door, she walked until she came upon a bench in the middle of the park, it was facing the falls in front with Jason's undercover SUV on the right a good distance away. She wasn't aware that they were there, spying on her. Jason's hand clenched on the steering wheel to the point of shattering it. How could she betray their friendship that way? He told her what her cousin did, she knew the sickness, the same as it was in that demented doctor that terrorized her and her family, so how could she do this to him? He understood that Aidan was her family, he understood that Robin had a pure side to her that thought all people were innocent and deserved second chances, but he could never forgive her. Not for this. This was worse than when she betrayed him by telling AJ that Michael was his, Sam's life was on the line. A part of him wanted to understand, wanted to forgive her, but not yet…. not until he had Sam safe in his arms.

"Do you think we should tell her that we're here?" Nikolas asked from the backseat. He was pissed off as well at the other brunette but how can he hold such anger towards her. After all that she had done for him. She's the one that told him about Spencer, she's the one that reunited him with his son, but what she was doing right now was unforgivable. To help a monster kidnap his cousin? He shook his head, he couldn't believe it was true, won't believe the worst until she explains her actions.

"No." Jason shook his head in denial. A part of him needed to hear what Robin had to say, needed to make sure that he didn't truly lose his friend in her act of betrayal. "We sit and we wait…." He let the rest drop as he paid attention to the other SUV creeping into the drive with the lights out. Immediately recognizing their signature rides, he leaned back and pulled out his phone as he watched the SUV creep in quietly as to not alert Robin that she was being followed. "Milo, I see you coming in. Take a left and park right next to the falls facing us. Do not move until you hear from me. Did you hear from Max?"  
"Yeah, they're still a ways back. He said that Alexis was threatening him with bodily harm if he didn't get her here in time. I made sure to stress to him that he needs to drive slow."

"Keep an eye out." He hung up the phone and carefully eyed the SUV and Robin at the same time. She looked to be oblivious to the world around her as she stared into the miniature falls that cascaded down the rocks. Oblivious to Jason, Lucky, and Nikolas in the SUV on her right, with Milo and Cody on her left. Both groups of men prepared for the standoff that was no doubt coming soon.

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Gently running his fingers through her soft dark hair, Aidan closed his eyes and imagined the silk falling over him, his face, his chest, his thighs as she rode him, as she went down on him…. Shaking off the shudder that went through his body, he held her close as she slept. He had no choice but to drug her again. He had to meet Robin and this was the only way for him to be certain that she would never leave him. He knew that she was suspicious of him, how could she not be after his stupid eruption over her making a simple phone call? But that phone call could have destroyed everything that he worked so hard for, it could have destroyed them. They belonged together and in time, she would realize it.

She was so suspicious that she didn't eat the food that he prepared for her, settling for the sealed, unopened bottle of water instead. Little did she know that he inserted the small fine tipped syringe in a way that she wouldn't be able to notice. It was only a minute amount of the drug that he had that was left over from spiking the soup that he had made for her. But it was enough, it was enough to put her to sleep so that he could go out, meet Robin, grab the money and come back. He had an adventure in store for them. An adventure that would make her forget all about Morgan and love him instead. Leaning over, he brushed the silk of hair from her face and gently, oh so gently kissed her on her soft parted lips, letting his tongue gently graze the satin soft skin for just the briefest of moments, just to taste, just to savor her until she was ready to accept him. His fingers itched to do more, to reveal more, her body was to be worshiped and he was more than ready for her, but that's not how he wanted their first time to be. He wanted to feel her passion when she welcomed him in her body. He wanted her love.

Reluctantly pulling away, he stood to his full height as his hungry eyes devoured her as she slept in his bed. "Soon, my lovely Samantha, soon it will be only us." He gathered all of his strength to walk away from her. He had to go and meet Robin and get his meeting over with as quick as possible. The drug will only last for only a short amount of time, so he needed to hurry. The sooner he left, the sooner he would return and the life that he dreamed up for him and Samantha could finally come true.

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"For God's sakes Max, can't you go any faster?! A semi truck just passed us!"

"Alexis…"

"OH LOOK! There goes another one!" Alexis pointed at the window to another one that looked like it was going only 45 MPH, ignoring Sonny as he called her name.

"Alexis, you need to stay calm…"

"I AM CALM!" She took a deep breath and faced the bane of her existence. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were purposely slowing us down. So help me God Sonny, if we don't make it there in time and something happens to my daughter, I… I will…. I will cut off your balls and eat them for breakfast!" She cringed at what ejected from her mouth with a foul taste.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass."

"UGHH!" The smirk on his face enraged her. How dare he make fun of her at a time like this? Her daughter needed her.

Sonny let the small chuckle escape him, he couldn't help it, Alexis always made him laugh at her theatrics. "Listen…" He fully turned to her as much as the backseat would allow and picked up her hand in a comforting gesture. He knew what she was going through. "I know how you feel. I know you want to get there and face Aidan, but you can't…." He quickly spoke again to interrupt her before she spoke up. "You can't confront him right now. Aidan has lost it. He's dangerous right now and he doesn't care that your Sam's mother, he won't let anything stand in his way. He already proved that by faking her death." He truly felt for her, saddened by the fear and sense of loss in his friend's eyes. "Jason will take care of it. I promise you, he will bring her back. It won't do any good to be there when this goes off. You would become a distraction. And if something, anything goes wrong, then I will send every man I know out there to look for her. I promise you."

"How do I just sit here and wait?"

Her saddened tone broke his heart. "We wait together. If Jason needs us… he will call." He turned to the window, noticing that Max parked on the side of the road underneath the sign that located their destination just a mile away from the turn to Akron Falls just as Milo directed him to do. He wanted to be there for Jason, but having Alexis there was not a good idea. He had already messed up one rescue attempt, it was the least he could do.

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Jason watched, not so patient, as Aidan's black SUV that he stole from the Balkan turned into the entrance to the park. At first instinct, his right handle immediately landed to the handle of his gun in the back of his waistband, but stopped short. He hand to control himself, he needed to reign in his emotions to use his brain. But the beast within him was raging in contempt. It demanded to be freed, demanded blood, DEMANDED Aidan's head. How could he refuse?

He forced himself to calm, but it was proving futile. His blood was pumping heavy and thick in his veins, his heart was accelerated to prepare his body for action, his breathing was almost too quick. He watched as Aidan stepped out of his SUV and head towards Robin, not even bothering to look at his surroundings. Jason recognized the desperate man in Aidan, and desperate men made mistakes.

"Where's Sam?"

Nikolas' question had his head jerk towards the dark SUV. They couldn't see anything, couldn't tell if Sam was lying in the backseat. Was she drugged? Was she tied up? His fists were clenched so tight, they were white. The idea that Sam, his Sam could only be a short run away from him was almost overwhelming, was almost too much for him to take. He found his own desperation to reach to her, take her, to make sure that she was safe and in his arms. But he couldn't. Not yet.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, Patrick. He's my cousin and I need to try to help him….. I promise to be safe….. I'll let you know when I'm done…. Kiss Emma goodnight for me and I love you…." Robin hung up the phone, placed it back in her jacket pocket and stared out into the falls again. She spent the past ten minutes convincing her husband that she needed to do everything she could to try to convince Aidan to get help. She felt bad for not telling Jason, felt bad for going behind his back but she couldn't let him kill her cousin. He was her family, her mother's nephew. If she stayed back to let Jason "handle" it, how could she possible look into her mother's eyes or worse, her aunt Alex's eyes and say that she did nothing to help her son? She couldn't. She had to at least try, try to talk him into letting Sam go and try to talk him into seeking help. Something. Anything. She was just thankful that Patrick understood.

Jason, Lucky and Nikolas silently waited in the SUV and kept their attentions focused on Robin. Each man in their own thoughts and each man silently hoping that their friend wouldn't betray them. Jason hoped that Robin was going to do the right thing and not help Aidan. Nikolas hoped the same as well. But Lucky was a different matter: If Robin ended up helping her cousin than Lucky would have to arrest her for being an accessory. With the windows in the SUV partially down, they watched and listened as Aidan approached.

"Jason…" Nikolas whispered as he positioned himself between the two front seats. "Do you think that Sam is in the back of that truck?"

Jason quickly turned his head back to the SUV in question. He squinted his eyes, hoping to see into the tinted windows for any sign of Sam. Not being able to see anything, he shook his head in defeat as he stared straight ahead. "I don't know. But if she is, we have to a find a way to grab her. I… I don't know what that bastard has done to her…." His fists clenched in anger thinking the worst.

"I think I have an idea." When both men in the front seat gave him their full attention, he continued to whisper. "I can go around and sneak up to his truck and if she's there, then I'll grab her."

"And if she's not?" Lucky questioned quietly.

"Then I sit tight and have him take me to her." Just when he sees his brother about to protest, Nikolas pressed on. "Look, I don't want to hear any of your objections, I am perfectly capable of defending myself." He looked back up to Jason and was pleased when the other man nodded his approval.

"When I confront Aidan, you get Sam to safety." Jason practically forced out all while his inner beast protesting at some other man rescuing his love. But Jason needed to think about Sam's safety above his claim. As soon as she was safe, as soon as Aidan was dead, then he would have his woman back in his arms.

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Aidan could see Robin illuminated by the headlights of the SUV he stole. She was sitting on a park bench in front of the waterfalls. Even though it was night time, it was a beautiful, peaceful area, otherworldly even. He could picture bringing Samantha here for a picnic underneath the moonlight, just the two of them, dancing beneath the starry sky. A smile came to his lips as he opened the door and quickly closed the distance between him and his cousin. He was desperate to hurry this along, desperate to get the money, desperate to get back to Samantha, and desperate to take her far away from here so that they can finally start their new life together. "Robin…" He called to her as he came to a stop just behind the bench.

Jumping at the sound of his voice, Robin quickly turned her head and sighed in relief. She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize Aidan was behind her. "Aidan…" She stood to her feet, her bag slung off her shoulder as she slowly tried to reach out to him.

Sensing her need for comfort, Aidan felt a twinge in his heart. He opened his arms and enveloped her in a warm brotherly hug. He truly loved his dear cousin, but not wanting to delay his return to Samantha, Aidan tried to rush things along. "Did you bring the money?" He pulled back and slightly narrowed his eyes at the frown on her face.

She pulled back from his embrace and nodded while stepping back away from him again. She could tell that he seemed anxious, almost desperate to move this "transaction" along. "Oh Aidan… What have you done?" Shaking her head, she couldn't help feel disappointed in him, she couldn't help the tears that suddenly misted her eyes.

"What have I done? I'm finally making things right, that's what I've done."

"How can kidnapping Sam be right?" She saw the anger in his eyes, the startling realization that she knew everything that he had done. "I know everything, Aidan." When he remained silent, she continued. "How could faking her death be right? Her entire family believed that she was dead, her mother, her sisters, Jason…."

"Morgan doesn't care for her…."

"How can you say that? I've seen the love that Jason has for Sam, it's the same love she has for him in return. Their soul mate's Aidan…."

"No, he left her, more than once…."

"But they came back to each other, they always will. They are meant to be together, forever." Seeing him protesting further broke her heart, but she pressed on. "Please Aidan, you have to let her go. They love each other…"

 **"** **NO!"** He snapped almost advancing on her to shut her up. "Samantha loves **ME**." He punched his chest as he pointed himself out to her. "WE are meant to be together. Samantha and I, always, forever." He continued his tirade and ignored his name being called in her pleading tone, shaking his head in denial. "No, there is nothing you can say to change our minds. We love each other and we want to be together." Taking a deep breath, Aidan remembered that he had only given Samantha a small dose of the drug, the few particles that he had given her were not going to keep out for long. Back to desperation, Aidan pressed on as he held his hand out to her. "Now please Robin, hand over that bag."

It finally dawned on Robin that he was utterly lost. No matter what she did or what she said, it would be of no use. Aidan was gone…. the same as Lisa. Her heart broken, she reached into her pocket, pulled out her cell phone and prayed that she was doing the right thing. It was time to call Jason.

"What are you doing?" He narrowed his eyes as they followed her hand.

"Something I should've done from the start." Flipping it open, she took a deep breath and was ready to dial but froze when her cousin pulled out a gun and aimed it at her. It was so much worse than she had originally thought. Now she wished that she would've told Jason from the beginning. "Aidan? What are you doing?"

"Hand me the phone Robin." When she hesitated, he snapped. **"** **NOW!"** When she passed it to him with trembling hands, he pulled his arm back and tossed it into the water. But just as he was about to put his gun away, a shift in the clouds caused the full moon to shine through and illuminate everything around them, and from the corner of his eye, he caught a red shine for the briefest second before the clouds shifted once again. A reflector from a car. Turning his gun back out, he pointed it back to Robin's face. Fear crossed her eyes and he felt the ache of betrayal stab his chest. **"** **YOU BETRAYED ME, YOU BITCH?!"** Grabbing her arm, he twisted her around and held her up against his body with one arm around her neck while the other was holding the gun to her temple. He yelled out into the night. **"** **GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE CAR MORGAN!"**

"Aidan? What are you doing?" Robin was panicking, her hands flew to the arm that had her in a choke hold, she didn't know what was going on.

"Your ex is here!" He hissed out angrily at her ear. "When did you call him, huh?! Was it right after I called you and begged for your help? HUH?! How could you do this to me? WE WERE FAMILY!"

"Aidan, I swear, I have no idea…."

 **"** **GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CAR OR SHE DIES!"**

 *******************************************

Lucky cursed as the situation just took a turn to the ultimate worst, now they had a hostage situation on their hands. Having heard everything, Jason was at least thankful that Robin tried to reach out to him, but she should have done that from the beginning. Choosing to bury that thought, he kept his control on a leash and looked to Nikolas with a nod. Looking up at Lucky, Jason opened the car door the same time as Lucky did and exited the car. Nikolas snuck in low and exited the same door as Lucky, the angle was one that Aidan wouldn't be able to see so that Nikolas could make his way around the lot and sneak into the back of Aidan's truck with Jason's spare gun in his hands.

"We both know you're not going to hurt her Devane, so why don't you just let her go?" Jason stepped out of the shadows with his arms held firmly to his sides, he made sure to stay in an obscured path so that Aidan wouldn't get a clean shot at him. Lucky beside him doing the same.

"It seems that my little cousin here betrayed me. Could you believe that?" When he felt Robin struggle and protest, he quieted her. **"** **SHUT UP!"**

"Robin didn't betray you." Lucky spoke up. "She didn't know that we were here."

"Ahh, well hello to you too, Mr. Officer. Now Morgan, where are the rest of your henchman?" Aidan swung his gaze around and caught the lights reflecting off another SUV to his right. "Tell your men to get of the car…" When Jason hesitated, Aidan fired a shot off and hit Milo's SUV, flattening a tire. "NOW!"

Jason was more than ready to end this shit. He recognized the desperation in the other man's eyes, so much like his own, both with one goal in mind, getting to Sam. From the corner of his eye, he saw a black figure, Nikolas, sneaking into Aidan's SUV. His heart immediately sinking when the other man didn't come out carrying Sam… she wasn't there. Which meant that Aidan had her stashed somewhere. So Jason found himself playing by Aidan's rules, for now. Looking straight ahead at Milo and Cody, he gave them a nod telling them to cooperate. Both men quickly acknowledged and got out of the car.

"Throw your weapons down. NOW!" Aidan yelled out as he pointed his gun to Milo and Cody. When they followed the order, he turned his gun back on Morgan and fired off a shot, flattening his tire as well. Ignoring Robin's startled scream, he squeezed his arm tighter around her neck and pointed his gun at the man he hated. He wanted to kill him, desperately wanted to feel his blood soaking his hands but he couldn't get the shot. Morgan had strategically placed himself in the direct path of large bushes and some thin trees. The shot would have to be perfect, he didn't have the patience and even though he was angry at his cousin for betraying him, he didn't want her in the line of fire. "Drop yours as well!" Backing away as he heard the guns drop to the ground, Aidan pulled Robin with him and headed for his SUV with the money still in Robin's bag. "Now if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have a date with destiny."

Jason's fists clenched so tight, they were white. He wanted to kill him with his bare hands, kill him for everything that he has done to him and to Sam. But he had to wait. He was never a rational man when it came to Sam. She always made him feel way too much, overloading him with so many emotions, he could barely process them all. Right now he was dying to get to her, dying to hold her, dying to feel her. He let out a breath as he watched Aidan shove Robin into the passenger seat as he followed and tore out of the parking lot, oblivious to the man in the back of the SUV.

Snapping to attention as Milo and Cody ran for the back of his SUV to change the flat tire with the spare, Jason barked out. "Hurry up, we need to get that bastard."

"Jason, I just got a text from Nikolas. They made a left when they exited the park."

"Let's go!" Jason jumped in the driver's seat just as Milo and Cody were done changing the flat in record time. All four men in the truck, all four doors slammed shut and Jason peeled out of there. He finally felt something else other than desperation. With Nikolas hiding in the back of Aidan's truck with a cell phone and a gun, Jason finally felt HOPE. "I'm coming baby." He whispered into the night.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Eyes softly fluttering open, Sam winced at the slight ache in her head. She closed her eyes, finding some relief in not having to strain them in order to see through the fog. She took a deep breath and tried to remember what happened that caused this sudden state of anguish that seemed to radiate through her mind. The last thing she recalled was…. Aidan fixing her lunch. She exhaled harshly realizing that the asshole did indeed drug her. That was why she had refused to eat the soup that he prepared for her in the first place, she was suspicious of him, with every right to be. Her eyes opened up and focused on the water bottle that was sitting on the night stand next to her bed…. He drugged the water as well. Why?

Gingerly sitting up to not further cause the ache in her head to expand, she sat at the edge of the bed with her feet planted firmly to the floor. Testing the strength in her legs and in her entire body, she forced herself to stand. She didn't know what drug he had used, therefore she didn't know what the side effects were. When she felt nothing else but the slight headache, she concluded that it was just a sleeping pill. Silently walking to the door, she pressed her ear up against it to hear any sounds coming from the rest of the cottage. She wondered where he was. Was he sleeping? Was he waiting out there for her?

When she didn't hear anything, she opened the door quietly only to see the cottage was empty. Where was he? Heading towards the front door, she found her boots up against the closet door. After putting them on, she opened the door and froze at the sight on the ground. Bits of pieces of the phone that she had used earlier littered the porch, broken, destroyed. Aidan was crazy. She looked up and noticed that there was no car in the long driveway. Did he leave? Closing the door, she stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself. Even though she was wearing a long sleeve black shirt and jeans, she was still cold. Heading towards the couch, she sank down in the cushions and tried to wrap her mind about what was going on.

She thought back to the events that led her here. Meeting Aidan, working with him to take down Lisa, trusting him, befriending him, their close call with the Balkan's men, when she ran to him after Jason was drugged…. Jason. A sob tore from her throat at the reminder that the man she loved was gone. How was she going to be able to move on? She needed more of an explanation, someone to tell her what the hell really happened and how he died.

Sonny. She wiped at her nose and eyes furiously. Recalling the conversation that she had with Aidan about her contacting Sonny, or more be precise NOT to contact Sonny…. Wait a minute. Her eyes narrowed dangerously to the floor when she remembered Sonny saying that he thought she was dead. But how could that be? Wasn't Aidan working with Sonny? And what about Jason? Did Jason think that she was dead before he ran off and confronted the Balkan? No. Aidan said that Jason went to save her and…. was shot. She took a deep breath and went further back in her memory. Things were not adding up. She went back to the night at the hospital, right after Jason and Brenda were drugged. Right before all things became fuzzy and out of focus. She remembered leaving him to go to the penthouse. Her eyes misted, at least she got to tell him that she loved him, the last conversation that she had with him.

Jumping to her feet, she paced the living room to stop that line of thinking, she had to concentrate on the events afterwards. She remembered going to the penthouse now, remembered talking to Spinelli. Scrunching her face and thinking hard, she remembered…. pulling up the surveillance videos on the laptops to see how they broke in the penthouse…. Remembering….. a dark figure climbing up the side of the building….. And then it came back like pouring water, the memory washing over her.

 _Hearing a knock on the door, Sam sighed and stood up to answer it, leaving the laptop to play on its own. "Aidan."_

 _Aidan had been in his car, parked across the building, waiting for her to get here. He thought that she would've gone home but she had never shown up, and now she was back here, back to the place that she had once shared with Morgan. Aidan used every ounce of control he had to keep his anger buried down deep. "May I come in?"_

 _Sam was hesitant at first, she didn't have the time to deal with this especially since they were trying to find the enemy, but she felt guilty for using him earlier. "Sure." She held the door open, waited for him to pass then closed it behind her. She gave a quick look towards the kitchen, Spinelli was still in there. She waited for him to turn around. "Look Aidan, I'm really sorry about earlier…"_

 _"There's no need to apologize…"_

 _"Yes there is, I never should've come to you." She could see the sadness in his eyes and it just made her feel worse. "I'm sorry."_

 _"Samantha, you just found out that Morgan cheated on you, of course you'd be upset."_

 _"But he didn't." She didn't want to tell him the whole story so she made it short. "Turns out that he was drugged…." She could see the skepticism in his face. "I know, believe me I know it sounds crazy but in my world it's anything but." She shrugged, offering up some humor._

 _"Is he alright?" He choked out, not really caring about the other man, but he felt he had to fake sympathy. "And Brenda?"_

 _She was about to answer but stopped for a second. "How did you know it was Brenda?"_

 _"I… I just assumed." He could see her wheels turning, she was thinking about his answer, so he quickly changed the subject. "I tried calling you."_

 _She wasn't sure but something was off, something was bothering her, it just didn't feel right. Her eyes kept on going back down to the laptop sitting on the table then up at him again as she thought about his answers. "That's another thing Aidan…" She looked up at him. "I thought you said that you lost your phone when we were stuck in the tunnel." She looked down at the screen again, she felt bad for accusing him of dishonesty. "I guess you probably just found it or…" Her voice suddenly trailed off at the image on the screen. There, right in front of her eyes, she found out who the person that broke into the penthouse was. She couldn't hide the wide eyed look or the way she breathed out. "Oh my God…."_

 _Aidan knew it, from the first second that her voice trailed off. Reaching behind him, he pulled out the vial of chloroform and a white rag. He took advantage of her distraction as he began dousing the rag with a generous amount of the drug. When she finally looked up at him with incredibly wide and hurt eyes, she started to scream "SPINEL….." But he was faster, as he pounced on her and covered her mouth and nose with the rag, pulling her body to him. "I'm sorry Samantha, please forgive me…." He held her tight as she struggled against him, no doubt holding her breath. Her legs flailed around him, knocking over the laptop that was on the table. He could here movement in the kitchen and knew he had to get out of there. Without a moment to lose, he picked Sam up in his arms and walked out the door._

OH GOD, it was Aidan! Sinking back down on the cushions of the couch, Sam stared off into space in total disbelief. Aidan was the one that drugged Jason and Brenda. He drugged her, kidnapped her, made everyone believe that she was dead from what Sonny said. Was he the one to kill Jason too?

 *******************************************

"Max, what the hell was that?" Sonny asked as he saw a black SUV tear out of the parks drive and flew passed them. "Was that Robin with him?"

Mashing her face up against the window, Alexis strained to see what Sonny was talking about. "Where? Was that Aidan? Did you see Sam?"

"Follow him!" Sonny ordered as he picked up the phone and called Jason's cell. "Jason, what happened?"

"He took Robin as hostage and shot at our tires. Milo and Cody changed the flat and we're driving out now. You have to follow them Sonny. Sam… she wasn't with him. I don't know where she is."

Sonny could hear the desperation and anguish in his friend's voice and it broke his heart. Jason was always the calm one, but when it came to the petite brunette, he turned emotional. "Follow him but stay hidden." He told Max then turned back to his phone call. "We've got site on him, but….." He stopped when he looked up to see something strange.

"Boss, he's pulling into the gas station. Want me to pull in?" Max reported.

"Go around back." Sonny answered him. He could hear Jason asking him what was going on. Talking into the phone, Sonny tried to reiterate the scene as best as he could. Max was trying to hide by going around the back, staying just behind the building so not to be scene. "Aidan pulled into a gas station…. He pushed Robin out the door… and…."

"He took off! Follow him Max!" Alexis yelled out as she saw the black SUV pull off, leaving Robin behind. "And what the hell is Robin doing here?"

"Jason, Aidan pulled out but he dropped Robin off." To Max he ordered. "Go pick her up."

As Max stopped next to Robin, Sonny balanced the phone to his ear as he opened the door. "Robin! Get in." After recovering from her being startled, she jumped in the car and held on as Max took off, but they didn't get very far, Aidan was already gone. He heard Jason speaking through the phone. "What was that? Nikolas is where?" Seeing Alexis practically jump out of her skin to get her hands on the phone, he told Jason to lead on. "Max, follow him." Sighing with relief at finishing one conversation, he turned to the two women in the car just as Alexis asked about Nik. "Nikolas is hiding in the back of Aidan's car. He's texting Jason with directions on where they're going. They're hoping Aidan is going to lead them straight to Sam."

"Oh thank God!" Alexis fell back in her seat with relief. She was so close to having her daughter back.

Sonny was feeling for his friend. All hope was not lost, they still have a chance to find and rescue Sam. Looking over at Robin, he tried to keep his voice even so that they could get to the bottom line. He knew about Aidan contacting Robin, and the betrayal hurt coming from his long time friend. "Now, you want to tell me how you got mixed up in all this."

"Oh Sonny, he's lost it. Aidan has totally lost it and Jason is going to kill him." She sobbed out then went on to explain her side of the story and everything she knew. She still wished that she could save her cousin but it wasn't looking good.

 *********************************************

Nikolas kept as low as he could in the back of the SUV. He could hear Aidan swearing and pounding his fists on the steering wheel, muttering about betrayal, about killing Jason, about loving Samantha. They turned up ahead and he immediately went to texting Lucky. He hoped beyond hope that they would get Sam safely away from this delusional maniac. For the first time in his life he took comfort in the 9mm that was tucked safely away in the back of his waistband. All those years he lectured Jason on the violence in his life, Nikolas owed him an apology, he was feeling like such a hypocrite. Jason only did what was necessary to save his friends and family. Now Nikolas found himself doing the same. If that bastard hurt his cousin, Nikolas would kill him.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

What was she supposed to do now? Sam wondered as she wrapped her arms tightly around her raised knees. She supposed that curling up into a fetal position on the couch wasn't going to help matters much, but what was she supposed to do. In the past week, her life had come crashing down all around her, suffocating her to the point where she can barely breathe. The man she called a friend betrayed her, her friends and family think that she's dead, Jason….. She furiously wiped the tears that continued to spill down her cheeks…. Jason is gone. How is she supposed to go on without him? A thought came to her from deep within her heart…. Was he really gone? If Aidan could make her disappear, had he done the same to Jason? Or… was it all a lie?

She needed to know and she needed to get her ass off this couch and get the hell out of here. She sprung into action, the hope of Jason being alive feeding her adrenaline. If she could only get to a phone, then she could call Sonny or Spinelli, or anyone for that matter just to tell her the one thing that she desperately needed to here…. that Jason was alive. Stopping in the room that she slept in, she found her boots lying on the floor of the bed. Picking one up, she frowned at the length of the heel, she needed something to be able to run in and thankfully these weren't her favorite pair. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She said a quick sorry as she busted the heel on the nightstand. Breaking the other heel as well she quickly slid them on, grabbed her jacket that was hanging off the chair in the corner and ran into the kitchen as she zipped it up on the way.

She wasn't sure what she was looking for but she knew that she had to get out there before Aidan came back. Yanking a drawer open, Sam froze as the contents inside banged up against each other. She found the source of how Aidan had been keeping her here, of how he was drugging her: Syringes and empty bottles of medicine. The bastard had been drugging her this entire time. Slamming the drawer harder than necessary, she took a deep breath to control her anger and opened the next: Knives. Perfect. With shaking hands she grabbed the first one she touched and slid the drawer closed. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, her head shot up on the exhale as she heard a car pull up in the gravel driveway. Looking from the door to the knife in her hand, she realized that her weapon would be no match for his gun. And she knew that he had one, she saw it on him when he took the phone from her. Making a quick decision as she heard the car coming closer, she took a deep breath, prayed that she wasn't making a mistake and ran for the side kitchen door and out into the night.

 ************************************************

Nikolas felt the SUV turn left onto a gravel road. He glanced up to see if this was a dirt road or an actual driveway. Seeing the numbers on the mailbox, Nikolas texted the address to Lucky and huddled back down to wait for Aidan to stop. This was it. He was finally going to get his family back even if he had to kill the bastard who kidnapped her to do it. Aidan had brought so much anguish to his family and friends, making him believe that he had lost a cousin, his aunt believe that her daughter was dead, making Lucky believe that he had lost a friend, and Jason mourn the love of his life. It was taking all Nikolas' will power not to aim the 9mm to Aidan's head and squeeze off a few rounds.

Nikolas prepared himself, he could feel the SUV slowing down, meaning that they were almost at the cabin, any minute now. Only he didn't have to wait a second longer…. he was jerked from his position as the SUV came to a screeching halt. "No, no, no, no, **NOOOOO!"** He heard Aidan yell from the front seat, the door swung open and Aidan took off yelling **"** **SAMANTHA!"**

Nikolas' heart skipped a beat at hearing her name, it made the illusion of her being alive all the more real. In the next instant, he threw the back door open, jumped down and took in the scene before him. Sam ran from the cabin and took off into the woods, Aidan with his gun right behind her. Jumping into action, Nikolas took off after them with his own gun, he flipped his phone open and hit the send button twice knowing that he was calling Lucky.

Getting the latest text from Nikolas, Lucky had entered the address into the GPS and counted down the miles until they were able to get there to rescue Sam. He couldn't see Sonny's limo behind them, knowing that they had stopped to get Robin and lost some time but he knew that they would catch up, Milo was in constant connection with his brother. Milo and Cody were both eager and ready in the back, waiting for their boss' orders and Jason was silent but Lucky could feel the anger roaring up from deep within. The SUV was filled with so much tension that he could barely breathe, he had to roll down the window to get in as much of fresh air as possible. He was sitting mostly still, except for his leg bouncing up and down at a million times a second. The last time he felt this way was when he was going through detox. All four of them were anxious and on edge, Jason worse than all of them combined. Sam meant everything to him and Lucky knew that Jason would do anything to get her back. Even if meant killing Aidan. Lucky realized that if that happened, he would turn away and let Morgan do his work. Sam meant a lot to him, she was his friend and he cared for her. How much? Well, more than he would cared to admit but he knew that her heart had and would always belong to Jason.

The shrill of his cell phone ringing broke through the tension in the car and Lucky answered it before the first ring finished. "Nikolas?" He guessed not wasting a second to check the caller ID.

"Yeah…." Nikolas replied as best as he could as he ran after Aidan. "We're on the move! We're on the move!"

"What do you mean you're on the move?" Lucky and Jason looked at each other confused. "Nikolas what's going on?"

"Sam… Sam… she took off into the woods and Aidan is right behind her…" Nikolas panted out. "I'm right behind them but… Lucky… he's gaining on her…."

At this time Lucky had put the phone on speaker so Jason could hear as well. "Where are you headed? Nikolas… what direction are you guys running in?"

"East! We're heading right for you guys…. Look to your left…."

Jason was already slowing down the SUV as both him and Lucky kept their eyes at the passing scenery to their left hoping to catch a glimpse of Sam. She was so close, he could feel it with every fiber of his being and he couldn't breathe. His heart was pounding hard and he felt like his chest was caving in on him, crushing his lungs, he just needed to see her, needed to see that she was really alive, that she was really here and any minute he was going to finally have her back in his arms were she belonged. **"** **THERE SHE IS!"** He slammed on the breaks as soon as he heard Lucky call out. All four of them flung the doors open and took off to their left as soon as they saw the petite brunette run passed them almost 50 feet away. **"** **SAM!"** Jason called out as he took off after her but was suddenly yanked back just as a bullet shot the tree trunk where his head would have been.

"JASON, GET DOWN!"

He shrugged off his hold not giving a damn about himself or any other. "I don't have time for this! I need to go after Sam!"

Lucky knew there was no use arguing with him. "Ok, we'll hold him off, you go after her." As soon as Jason nodded, Lucky stood up from behind a boulder and started firing in Aidan's direction, Cody and Milo followed his lead as they came out from their positions on opposite sides behind large tree trunks. When Jason was gone far enough away, he stopped firing. "DON'T SHOOT! I'M PCPD, IT'S OVER! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

"YOU BASTARDS! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!" Aidan bellowed when he saw Morgan run off after Samantha. He stood up and starting firing in their direction not caring if he killed or maimed, he would make them all pay. They ruined his plans and if he could just get free of this, then he could find his Samantha.

Hearing a grunt to his left, Lucky looked out to see Cody on the ground grabbing his leg. Aidan wasn't going to go down without a fight, and Lucky decided that neither was he. He still had Milo with him and somewhere around here was Nikolas. "YOU NEED TO GIVE THIS UP MAN! YOU'RE OUTNUMBERED!" He knew it was useless to negotiate with him, but he just hoped to get him talking to throw off his concentration.

"DID I MENTION I WAS IN SPECIAL OPPS OFFICER SPENCER?" Aidan knew what Spencer was doing, and as soon as he saw Lucky move up to fire a shot, Aidan shot at Lucky effectively taking him down with a smile on his face.

Lucky grabbed at his left arm and tried like hell not to yell. It hurt like a son of a bitch but he would live. Not wanting to give the bastard anymore chances to take him out. He picked up his gun and started firing while he ran from tree to tree to cover himself as Milo fired from behind him. He was almost up to him when Aidan surprised him when he ducked out from behind the tree and rushed him. In a blink of an eye, both men were on the ground. Fists flew and punches landed but Lucky was out maneuvered with only one good arm to fight with. Aidan landed a quick punch to Lucky's face and with a death grip, he grabbed Lucky's injured arm and pressed hard on the wound, relishing the sound of Lucky screaming in pain. Aidan heard a noise behind him but he ignored it all as he grabbed his gun and pointed at officer's head. And just as he was about to take a shot, he was tackled off by an heavy force.

Nikolas had fired his last bullet when he saw Aidan rush Lucky and tackle him down. Not knowing what else to do but knowing that he couldn't leave his brother alone, he ran for them. He almost stumbled when he saw Aidan point the gun to Lucky's head but he made it just in time to slam his body into Aidan's and shove him off of his brother. He never had to fight in all his life, but the few times with Lucky taught him a lot. Putting some of his body weight into the punches that he threw at Aidan, he slowed the bastard down but his training in the Special Forces was far more advanced.

Lucky struggled to stand with Milo's help. Both men out of bullets watched as Aidan and Nikolas fought. After nailing Nikolas into the ground with a shot to his abdomen that took his breath away in one big woosh, Aidan pushed off and stumbled to his gun. Aiming it, he pointed it right at Nikolas' heart. "NOOO!" Lucky cried out just as a shot was fired.

Nikolas closed his eyes just as Aidan pointed the gun at him. This was it, this was his last moment. And the only thing that crossed through his mind was his son…. Spencer. And as he heard the shot fire off, he waited for the pain, waited for the end. But when none of it came, he opened his eyes to see a wide eyed Aidan staring back at him. He watched as Aidan stumbled and fell to the ground, the gun easily slipping out of his hand. He looked up to see Sonny standing next to his aunt with the smoking gun. He never in a million years thought that he would owe Sonny anything, especially his life.

"AIDAN!" Robin cried as she ran to her cousin. He was still alive but barely breathing. He was her family and she didn't want to lose him. "Please wake up, wake up Aidan… come on, you can do it, wake up…" She applied pressure to his wound and held on for dear life. "Sonny, please help me, I can't lose him… please, I know you want to kill him but you have to help me…" She knew she was asking for too much, she even knew that she had already lost her cousin to insanity long ago but she couldn't let him die, he was her blood.

Caught between wanting to put another bullet in the bastard's back and helping out his friend, Sonny did the only thing he could do. Knowing Cody and Lucky were hurt as well, Sonny called out for Max. "Get Aidan in to the limo and stay on him, Robin and Milo will help Cody and Lucky. Take them to nearest hospital."

"What about Jason?" Hearing Max's question, Alexis moved from Nikolas' side after she helped him up. "What about Sam?" Looking off into the direction the two had taken, Sonny just hoped that they were finally together. Grabbing Alexis' hand, he led her and Nikolas to the SUV as Max took off with the others in the opposite direction. "Let's go find them." He would give Jason time to find Sam and then he was going to call his phone.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"SAM!" Jason desperately called out to her as he ran through the forest hoping to catch her. After all this time, after everything that has happened to them, she was finally in front of him. It didn't matter that she was currently running away from him, his heart was overjoyed at the sight of her, she was alive. "SAM! BABY, STOP!" He pleaded to her as he jumped over a fallen tree trunk that she hurdled over just seconds before. Luckily the ground wasn't littered too much with fallen branches, just a large branch here and there that they expertly avoided, and just a good coat of leaves that fell from the autumn weather.

Sam could hear her name being called almost muffled by the loud sounds of her heavy panting, the roar of blood rushing through her ears, and the snapping sounds of twigs and crunching leaves beneath the soles of her feet. Her feet were killing her, having broken the heels off of her favorite boots made great work in gaining long distances but did very little to offer comfort for her aching feet. Her body was tiring out, her feet were killing her, her lungs seemed like they were on fire but she couldn't stop. She couldn't let Aidan catch up to her. She had to keep going…. when suddenly her foot was caught by a tree branch causing her to stumble and land on her knees. The knife she held on tightly immediately slipped from her sweaty palms and instead of wasting time to find it, with the sounds of heavy booted footfalls gaining close behind her, she left the knife, righted her footing and took off again.

Jason's breath hitched when he saw Sam fall, he didn't want her to get hurt but saw this as an opening to finally gain on her. With her light body weight, she was incredibly faster than he was, his muscle mass slowing him down. "SAM STOP!" He tried to gain speed as he ran for her but she picked herself right up and took off again. He couldn't understand why she wasn't stopping especially after calling her name several times. Why wasn't she stopping? Couldn't she hear him? Realizing that he had to get her attention in some way, Jason pulled out his 9mm and fired off two shots into the sky, hoping that she would stop and at least look at him. Maybe she still thought that Aidan was after her. The shots in the air rang throughout the entire forest, no one would be able to miss the sound, and he was right. Stumbling a few steps before him, he saw her finally freeze, finally stop running from him. "Sam…" He croaked out, the emotions overwhelming him at seeing the woman he loved more than life itself standing alive and breathing before him. Jason's heart swelled and his eyes blurred with tears at hearing her soft gasp. Did she think he wouldn't come for her? That he wouldn't move Heaven and Earth to be with her once again. "Sam…" Her name was a desperate plea on his lips. His heart wouldn't stop beating fiercely, an impossible rhythm that echoed loudly in his ears. And when he heard her whisper his name… his knees nearly buckled at finally hearing her sweet musical voice after all this time. "Please baby… turn around, look at me…. Sam…"

Sam was completely paralyzed, what kind of cruel sick joke is this…. "Jason…" But no, Jason was dead… Aidan said that he was gone…. was it possible that it was all a lie? She closed her eyes, the tears silently falling from them, sending a silent plea to God that this was real, that Jason was alive. "Are you real?" She couldn't turn around yet, couldn't turn around and find him gone, she couldn't bare it, not again. She would die all over again.

"Turn around baby, you're breaking my heart." He pleaded and waited on bated breath as she slowly turned her body to face him. She was magnificent, a vision standing before him. No matter what she wore or what she looked like, she was his goddess, his ultimate ethereal fantasy. "Open your eyes Sam…. look at me…" His voice broke as he begged her. He needed to see all of her, and he needed for her to finally see him.

The tears fell faster as she listened to the sound of his voice, broken but beautiful, alluring, hypnotizing. She loved this man more than anything in this world and she was afraid to open her eyes. What if he wasn't there? What if he wasn't real? "Jason…." Taking a deep breath, she hardened her heart to prepare for the fatal blow she was going to painfully endure if he wasn't there. She opened her eyes….. and her breath hitched at the man before her. Her eyes widened and her heart broke simultaneously in disbelief. He was here, he was real and he was alive. "JASON!" Not waiting a moment longer, she ran and launched herself into him.

Jason couldn't bare it any longer, he needed her, he needed to hold her and he needed her in his arms. Meeting her halfway, he opened his arms wide and caught her in a fierce grip as she threw herself into his waiting arms. Finally! "Oh God Sam…. oh baby…." He held her tightly to him, holding her tight to his chest but careful as to not crush her. Bending his head down, he inhaled deep and closed his eyes in complete utter satisfaction, soaking up her soft scent in his nostrils and drowning in her essence. He couldn't hold his tears back anymore, so he let them fall. He had missed her, died without her and she was back in his arms. Not being able to stand not looking at her again, he pulled back and let his eyes devour her greedily. Running his hand up the back of her neck, he grabbed a handful of her silken hair and pulled her lips to his in a crushing bruising kiss. It wasn't sweet, it wasn't soft. It was hard, desperate, and hungry. He poured his heart into that kiss, feeling the same come from her, their tears mingled and mixed together, their love radiating from the very bottom of their souls.

Pulled back, gasping for air, Sam held onto him as tight as she could. "I thought you were dead…. he told me you were dead…." Not giving him a moment to answer, only enough to breathe, she pulled him back hungrily for more of his kiss.

"I did…" Jason pulled back to look deep into her brown depths. "I died the day they told me you were gone…" He could see the confusion in her eyes and he cursed Devane all over again. The bastard played with their lives too long. "I thought you were dead…. Aidan set it up to look like you died in a plane crash…" He knew that he needed to explain, to tell her everything, but now was not the time. Now, he needed her. He captured her sweet lips once more than rested his forehead against her. "I died that day Sam… but now… Oh God baby now, I can breathe again…" He sunk once more and recaptured her lips. Hearing her moan in his mouth flared up his desire for her…

"Jason… mmm…" Sam was completely lost in the kiss so much that she couldn't make sense of it all, and with feeling his hard body against hers, she realized that at this moment, she didn't care. She didn't want to think, she didn't want to make sense of their situation, she just wanted to feel. She wanted to feel the man who held her tightly in her arms, the man who was exploring her body with his strong hands, the man who let his hands trial to her bottom, squeezing them as he grinded her soft body into his hard length. She just wanted to feel him. "I need you Jason…" She whispered hoarsely as she broke the kiss for only a moment, then went back to trial her kisses along his jaw, his neck all while her hands whispered over his hard muscled chest. "Please Jason…. I need you… I need to feel you inside of me… I need….umph….'

She was completely cut off as Jason swooped down and effectively stole her breath away, cupping her face in both of his hands as he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. Sam gasped and he used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue hungrily seeking out hers. His hands went to encircle her waist, pulling Sam tightly against him as he pulled her off of her feet. He kissed her with savage need and Sam could only yield to the demand, some feminine instinct knowing what he needed in that moment. Jason felt her soften in his arms and mold herself to him and he nearly shook with relief. He'd been so scared when she ran from him and he couldn't stand the thought of that. He needed her now, needed all of her and he could tell by the desperation and hunger in their kiss, she needed him too.

He cupped the back of her head with one hand to help deepen the kiss and Sam curved her body more into his, silently encouraging him to go on. Knowing he was losing his control and couldn't hold off any longer, with animalistic urgency, Jason undid her jeans and roughly shoved them and her panties down all at once. "Step out of them." He growled out as he pulled her up tight against him.

"I can't…." She panted out, hating denying him but knowing that her clothes weren't going anywhere with her boots still on. Growling low in his throat at the inconvenience, he roughly pulled his jacket off without breaking their intoxicating kiss, and used one hand to lay the jacket on the ground. In an instant, he immediately lowered her so that her soft delicate skin was laying on his jacket instead of the hard cold ground. Breaking the kiss had them both groaning at the loss, Jason grabbed her ankle with delicate grip, unzipping her boots and pulling them off. He was totally lost in their lust filled haze, and only one thing mattered, being inside of her sweet wet body.

Sam was struggling to hold on to her sanity, she was so desperate for him that she ached, and with each passing second, the ache between her legs intensified. She felt Jason's hands travel up her legs and roughly pull her pants and panties off of her, only one leg, only one was needed, they were too desperate for each other for wasting time in removing their clothing, too desperate and hungry for each other for foreplay, they needed the intimate connection now.

After pulling her leg free, he grabbed her succulent thighs with his hands and spread them wide groaning at the site of her wet nether lips glistening in the moonlight. He wanted to taste her but he needed to take her more. Quickly he covered her body with his, one hand holding himself up as his other shaking hand hastily unzipped his own jeans. Shoving them down just as far as they need to go, he grabbed his hard length….

"Jason! Please!" Hearing her pleas was his undoing. Crashing his mouth down to hers once more, forcing his tongue into her wet mouth, he entered her hard and they both cried out at the invasion. "Ohhhh…." Giving her a moment to adjust to his size, they both took the time to gaze into each other's eyes, having missed each other beyond belief, barely breathing, barely living until they were finally in each other's arms once again. Pulling out, Jason watched as her eyes fluttered at the intense sensation that passed between them both, he surged back in, moaning each other names, pulling back and surging forward, again and again. They held onto each other as they worked for that ultimate release. His thrusts were faster, harder, more desperate, more frantic, he wanted to feel her walls close and convulse all around him, wanted to feel her milk him and that's exactly what she did. A scream tore from her throat as she convulsed in arms from an earth shattering orgasm, a few thrusts later and he roared her name as his release followed hers.

Careful not to collapse on top of her, Jason held himself up and looked at her flushed face. "I love you." He gave her a sweet kiss after she repeated the words back to him. Having her in his arms made him whole again, breathe again, live again. He was now complete.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

She knew that by helping Aidan there was a chance that Jason and Sonny wouldn't forgive her. They share so much history together that she felt a little guilty for what she was doing, but how could she not do anything. How could she just stand back and watch her cousin die, by Sonny's hand no less, or sit back and watch as Jason finally came after him for all the horrible things he did to Sam and her family? What would her aunt or her mother say? How would she be able to look at them in the eye and tell them that she stood by and did nothing to help? She made a split decision back at Akron hospital, a decision that she could live with, a decision that she hoped wouldn't come back to haunt her. She made the choice to take Aidan back to General Hospital and call her uncle Mac about his crimes. She couldn't live with herself if she just let her own cousin die, but she would be able to look at her aunt and mother and tell them that she did the best she could. Incarceration is better than death.

After they had left the hospital, she had called Patrick. Only after she received the third degree from her husband, along with much begging and pleading, did he finally decide to do the surgery that could save Aidan's life. Robin couldn't blame him for being hesitant at first, especially after all the crimes Aidan had done, but she knew that her husband would make the right choice about saving a life. She couldn't bare to lose another family member. She wasn't able to help Georgie, but at least she could try to help Aidan.

Turning her head to look at her cousin unconscious on the gurney, Robin felt a great sadness wash over her. What could've happened to Aidan to resort to such extreme measures? She knew her cousin was a good person. Then again, Patrick said the same about Lisa. Was Aidan any better than Lisa? They both became obsessed, they both stalked, and they both tried to mess with the other person's life. Lisa tried to switch her medication and tried to kill her. Aidan drugged Jason and Brenda, kidnapped Sam, and made everyone believe that she was dead. But he didn't stop there. No, he took it too far. But how could she turn her back on him? She had to at least make sure that he survived, that way he could spend time in prison or a facility that would help him overcome this obsession that he has for Sam.

Looking out the window, Robin knew that it was time to make the call. Picking up the phone that the paramedic let her use because Aidan had thrown hers away, she decided to call the one person that could help her out in this situation. Dialing the number, she hit send and placed the phone to her ear. "Hey mom, it's Robin, I need your help…."

* * *

The ride back to Port Charles was silent. Each person in their own world, no doubt thinking about tonight's events and those leading up to it all. Sonny sat in the front passenger seat with Nikolas driving in order to give Jason and Sam time holding each other in the back seat, Alexis sitting next to her daughter every now and then stroking Sam's hair or her arm, anything just to make sure that her eldest was alive and well.

That bastard really did a number on his family and he was glad that he shot the son of a bitch. Seeing Robin try to save him pissed him off, but he understood. Robin is a very compassionate and loving woman, sees the good in everybody, no matter who they were. And with everyone in Port Charles, including her husband, calling him and Jason criminals, Robin would always defend them. Aidan was still her family, and since Georgie died, she has been hanging on to Maxie and Mac more than ever.

The ringing of his cell phone broke the silence. Seeing Max on the caller ID, Sonny remembered his friends being shot. "Hey Max, how is everyone?"

"Uh, good, everyone's good. Milo is being an idiot but he'll live, and Cody is patched up and ready to go, we're just waiting to be discharged."

Seeing Nikolas mouth Lucky's name, Sonny went back to his call. "That's good. How's Lucky?"

"He's good, the bullet went right through, no serious damage and he's in the room with Milo and Cody." Clearing his throat, Max was about to explain the situation…. "Uh Mr. C… there's something you…."

"Is Devane still alive?" Sonny interrupted when Jason asked him about Aidan.

"Yeah, he's alive, but boss…."

"Good, listen Max… " Sonny once again cut him off. "I don't give a damn about how he is, or if he's in pain, but… if by some miracle he makes it through the night, I want you to call in some men and have them guard his room 24/7. Make sure that he doesn't get away…."

"Umm, boss…."

"You keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

"Sure, but Mr. C…"

"Have Lucky call Mac in and explain the situation…."

"He already did that, but…"

"But WHAT Max?!" Sonny snapped at being interrupted. "I'm giving you orders and I expect you to follow them. Do you understand?"

"No… I mean yes sir, but those orders aren't going to work."

"Why not?"

"Because Aidan is no longer in Akron." Hearing silence on the other end, Max closed his eyes and went for it, praying that he still was alive after this. "Dr. Scorpio checked him out and had him transported to General Hospital."

Closing his eyes, Sonny took a deep breath and sighed loudly, catching everyone's attention in the car. "Where is Robin?" He spoke as calmly as possible even though his blood pressure was spiking through the roof.

"She went with him in the ambulance. They left a while ago and will probably reach GH in about a half hour." Suddenly becoming nervous about the silence, Max continued to explained. "After checking on the others, I went to go find Dr. Scorpio but some doctor told me that they left. She wouldn't tell me anything else. Sorry boss."

"What's going on?" Sonny heard Jason ask in the back seat, his voice tense and hard. But Sonny ignored him for the moment to issue orders to Max to best contain the situation. "Max, I want you to get some guys over at GH and as soon as Robin gets there with Devane, have the guards follow them everywhere. Do NOT lose him, and meet us at GH when you're done!" Slamming his cell phone closed, Sonny turned to Nikolas first. "Lucky's fine, the bullet went through and they've already patched him and discharged him." To everyone in general, "The others are fine too and will meet us at GH."

"What's going on Sonny? What about Devane?" Jason asked with a sense of unease. Keeping Sam enveloped in his arms, he squeezed her tighter to him, kissed the top of her head and waited for what he was sure was bad news.

"Robin transported him to GH." After several "what's?" went around, he continued. "Max doesn't know the details, he just knows that Robin is transporting Devane to GH in an ambulance and will probably reach there in about half an hour." He looked at the people around him for their reaction. Nikolas held the steering wheel tighter, Alexis kept her eyes on the window as she held on to Sam's hand, Sam closed her eyes and held on buried herself further into Jason's chest, and Jason looked straight into Sonny's eyes as they blazed with the promise of retribution. "Max is going to call some men and set them on Devane." Seeing Alexis reach for her phone, Sonny turned to her. "Lucky already called Mac. The hospital will be swarming with PCPD and my men. That bastard won't get away and we'll make sure Sam is protected." Seeing acceptance in her eyes, he gave Jason and Sam one last look and turned back in his seat. Yeah, he understood that Robin wanted to save her cousin, but shit, was it so difficult to give him and Jason a heads up. "What are you doing Robin?" He whispered to himself.

* * *

Running through the emergency doors at GH, Robin kept up with the gurney as they wheeled a still unconscious Aidan to where Patrick was standing waiting for them. Ignoring the patient for just a moment, he scooped up his wife and held her tight. "I'm so glad your back. Don't ever do that to me again?"

Pulling away from her husband, she turned her focus on Aidan. "You have to help him Patrick. He took a bullet to the back, he lost consciousness back in Akron and hasn't woken up since. Please, I know how you feel about this, but you have to help him. "

Shaking his head, Patrick wanted to understand what his wife was thinking but was having a difficult time. "I just don't get it Robin, after everything that Lisa did to us, why would you want to help someone like that?"

"It's not the same…"

"Think about it, it is the same…" Patrick ticked off the reasons on his fingers. "They both obsessively fixated on other people, they both would do anything to get what they wanted, both were willing to commit murder. Robin, they are exactly the same, it's just now one of them is related to you."

"Exactly!" Robin cried out, she desperately needed Patrick on her side. "You're right, OK? About all of it, but Lisa is now in custody and getting the help that she needs in Ferncliffe, all I want is for my cousin to have that same chance. A chance to get better, please Patrcik…"

Seeing his wife's sadness is what convinced Patrick to help this psycho that she called family. He couldn't and wouldn't turn his back on her. "Ok." Patrick conceded. "But after this, I don't want him anywhere near my family, especially Emma." After giving her a quick squeeze, he turned to the patient, grabbed the chart and turned into the surgeon he was born to be. After listening to the EMTs give him stats on the patients' health, Patrick sent them to the Operating Room. "Take him to OR 4 and have him prepped and ready to go by the time I get there." Turning to Robin after the EMTs wheeled Patrick through the operating room doors, he turned back to Robin. "Are you scrubbing in?"

"Yeah. Look Patrick, I know that he's done some horrible things but I can't desert him now. I called my mom and they're on their way with Aidan's superiors. I just don't understand this, he was never discharged from Special Ops Patrick, he went AWOL."

"Why would he do that?"

"Everything that Jason said was true, about what happened in Pine Valley. He's done this before, kidnapped a woman and took her away from her husband and children. When the feds caught up to him, they were overruled by the some military officials, Aidan's former superiors. They took him back to the military for his sentencing, he was supposed to work off his punishment with assignments in the Middle East, but he went AWOL a couple of months ago. They've been looking for him ever since."

"This isn't good Robin, if Jason and Sonny…."

"I know, I know, they're going to be so mad but I just couldn't let Aidan die without giving him a fighting chance. I just hope my mom gets here before Jason and Sonny get their hands on him. Maybe she can help him, he's mentally ill Patrick." After nodding his head in agreement, both doctors ran for the OR to help their patient not realizing the outcome of their actions will come back to haunt them.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

After a much heated debate where everyone ganged up on her, Sam finally gave up and sat in the wheel chair that Jason pushed towards her. She knew that he was worried about her, he mentioned more than once that he didn't know what drugs Aidan kept pumping into her system and didn't know how they would affect her in the long run. That led to her mother instantly agreeing and further doting on her first born daughter. Then of course Nikolas agreed and added by telling her how they were so happy that she was alive and they just wanted to make sure that she was healthy because they never wanted to experience grief like that again. He managed to make her feel guilty and even brought tears to her eyes by hugging her tightly and telling her how he had lost so much in his life that he never wanted to lose another person he loved again. How could she argue with that? And truthfully, not that she would tell anyone this, but she was extremely exhausted. Throughout the car ride, she found herself almost blacking out more than once, it would hit her hard and fast. She would come to each time with Jason holding her close, kissing her head, and rubbing her arms. She felt safe and relaxed enough to let her body do what it needed to do, and right now, she really needed a bed. So at this moment, she was being wheeled up to the nurse's desk by Jason with her entourage behind her. She looked up to see Steven walking towards them looking at them with wide eyes. For a second she had forgotten that Aidan made them all believe that she was dead. Thinking about him brought a chill to run through her body that instantly she pushed him to the back of her mind to deal with later. She wasn't ready just yet.

"Hey… I heard you were alive…" He spoke gently looking down at her with disbelief. "We weren't sure what to believe but we heard you were alive. I'm glad." He gave her a small smile genuinely happy to see her alive and with her family. He remembered years ago getting into a heated argument with her about Jason and he smiled remembering how she took him head on and defended her boyfriend. It was hard to believe when the story of her death came around, but he was glad they weren't true. He looked up to Jason and the rest of them. "I got a call from Lucky, he was in hospital from Akron, told me what happened and to watch for you guys. So…" Looking back down to Sam. "How do you feel? Lucky mentioned that Aidan had kept you heavily sedated. Do you know what he used? How much he gave you?"

She shook her head a little relieved that she didn't have to explain the long situation with him. She was tired and she told him so, aware of her family hovering around her. "I feel tired, which is crazy because I'm not sure how long I've been asleep. And no, I don't know what he gave me, chloroform at first…" She instantly regretted saying that out loud when she felt Jason stiffen beside her. She sighed and continued. "A few times I remember needles and some pinches in my arm, and others, I think he was injecting something into my water. I'm sorry, I don't know." She felt defeated and she knew by the looks of worry from Jason and her mother's faces that she looked defeated as well.

"Alright, well let's get you to a room and we can run some tests. We'll do full blood work and monitor you carefully. Since we don't know what he gave you, it will be hard to give you something to counter it. Once we get the results back from the tests, we'll know how to proceed." He explained carefully as he led them to a room. "I'm going to send a nurse in here to take some blood. Why don't you get changed and lay down until she gets here, it shouldn't be too long. Just try to relax Sam, you're safe now." He gives her a parting smile and turns to the rest of the crowd in her room. "You can wait for her outside until she's ready." He stated gesturing towards the door.

Alexis spoke up first looking at Jason's concerned face. "I'll stay to help her and I'll call you back in." She knew that he was worried about leaving her alone, she was too.

Jason looked at Sam with all the love in his eyes. He was loathed to be apart from her for even one second. He would feel a tightening in chest and always found it a little hard to breathe when she wasn't near him. She was a piece of his soul, a piece he couldn't live without. "I'll be right outside." He couldn't resist, he walked to her and gently took her lips in a soft kiss. Savoring the softness in her lips, the warmth of her mouth, and the feel of her breathing against his lips. He gave a small smile and followed Steven out the room.

"Steve." Jason called the man to a stop when he left Sam's room along with Sonny and Nikolas. He waited for the other man to turn to face him before he spoke again. "Have you seen Patrick or Robin?"

"No. As far as I know, Patrick is in surgery. I'm not sure about the details or anything."

"Robin brought Devane here to the hospital to be treated." Jason wasn't surprised to see look of awareness of the news on his face. "I'm putting some men on Sam's door, I don't want anyone but staff and her family visiting her. I think it would be wise to have your security on Devane, have two standing outside the room and one inside. I don't want to tell you how to do your job but Devane used to be in the Special Ops, the guy is dangerous and I don't want him anywhere near Sam." He took a deep breath to get his rage under control whenever he thought of Aidan. "I'm giving you the option to take care of this because if you don't, I will." He knew it sounded like a threat but he couldn't help it. This was too important.

"I assure you that we have taken the proper precautions and Lucky has already contacted Mac and the PCPD and apprised them of the situation. There is an officer stationed at his door as we speak waiting for him to come out of surgery." He reassured him and the other two men, especially Nikolas since he was the head of the board in the hospital. "Mr. Devane will be heavily guarded until he is released into custody." He informed them then walked off.

After Steven left, Sonny looked to Jason. "I'll call Max and see how long it will take for them to get here. As soon as they do, I'll have Max stand watch at Sam's door."

Jason nodded in agreement. He didn't plan to leave Sam's side but he was glad for the extra security, especially from someone he trusted with his own life. "Good. Make sure that he sends Milo and Cody home first." He turned and headed back to Sam's room. He really wanted to go and talk to Robin. He wanted to know what she was thinking. He wanted to understand, she was his friend and he would give her the chance to explain herself. She knew what that monster had done, knew the havoc and terror he created in their lives. He understood her need to help her family, but what he didn't understand is why she brought him back to Port Charles.

Opening the door to Sam's room, he couldn't help the small sigh of relief at seeing her. It still felt unreal to him, that she was alive and with him after learning of her "death". He walked to her and grabbed the hand she held out to him. He could hear Alexis promise to come back after she called the girls to let them know that they found Sam, but he barely acknowledged it.

The woman he loved more than anything was here with him, he could breathe again. Taking the breath that she gave him, he leaned over and kissed her soft pouty lips, pulling back only so far so that he could look deeply into her warm brown eyes. "I love you." He told her the three simple words that were only meant to be hers. Smiling softy at her as he stroked her hair back from her face, she repeated the words back as she cupped his cheek lovingly.

 **********************************************

Removing the surgical gloves, masks and gowns, Robin picks up Aidan's chart and follows her husband out of the scrubbing room. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed, a miracle. It had to be, nothing else could explain what could possibly be the most unbelievable operation of all time. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't been there. "I can't believe that bullet missed everything. What were the chances? Patrick, luck was on his side today. No broken bones, no nerve damage, he'll barely need recovery time and the bullet in his arm passed right through. He can be out of here in a couple of days."

He loved his wife more than anything but right now he was a little annoyed at the look of wonder in her bright eyes. "And then what Robin? What exactly did I have to help him for? Why did you bring him here? They could've handled this in Akron."

"They didn't know Patrick, come on, you saw the wound. You even said it yourself that it looked life threatening until you actually operated on it. They thought the same thing in Akron, and all I could think about was having the best surgeon do the operation, you, I needed you to help him. I needed you."

"No, you needed me to tell you what you were doing was right, you wanted me in your corner so when the shit hits the fan, you've got someone with you." He took a deep breath at seeing the hurt in her eyes, he never wanted her to feel that way, especially not by him. "Robin, I'm your husband and I will always, always be on your side. I gotta tell you though that it didn't feel too good helping a monster like him, but I did it, and I did it for you. Have you spoken to your mom about him?"

Robin looks over at her cousin lying there in the recovery room. "Yes, she was the phone call I had to take right in the middle of surgery, she says that they'll be here late tonight. My dad's with her, he used to work with Aidan. They'll stand guard until he's discharged and take him back with them. My aunts coming in as well with her husband, but her plane won't land until morning."

She looks back up to her husband. "Thank you. I know you didn't want to do this, and I know you did this only for me, but I'm really glad that I don't have to bury another person whom I love. I know what he did was wrong, and I just hope that my dad will get him some help and then maybe I'll have my cousin back. Even though we didn't grow up together, he was always a phone call away. I love him…" She chocked back the sob that threatened to escape and walked into her husband's open arms. She looked up with her bright teary eyes and kissed him. "And I love you."

Hugging her tight to him, Patrick kissed the top of her head. "I love you too." He didn't like what he did but he understood her reasons, the rest of the town however would not. "It's going to be ok. We'll deal with Jason and Sonny when the time comes. I'll be right here with you."

"Thank you." She whispered with much gratitude as she held him tight. She knew it was only a matter of time before she had to explain herself to Jason and Sonny. They might not forgive her for what she did, but she hoped in time they would accept it. Her parents were on their way, and she just hoped that by the time Jason came looking for Aidan, he would be long gone.

Too caught up in their embrace, neither husband nor wife notice the patient move his hand as he whispered out, "Samantha…"


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

The monitors beeping around her were driving her absolutely insane, and the only thing keeping her in the hospital bed was Jason. After repeated threats of tying her down if she so much as moved a muscle, Sam decided to humor him. His face showed humor but she could the hint of worry that betrayed his eyes. The past few days were hell for the both of them, they were safe now, but Sam couldn't help the constant feeling that this peace was just the calm before the storm. Choosing to keep her thoughts to herself for now, Sam looked up as Jason ended his phone call. "What did Sonny say? Any news on Aidan?"

Tightening his fist over the phone at the mention of the man's name, Jason took a deep breath before answering. "He doesn't know anything yet. He's going to find Robin and he'll call back when he has something." He stood by the window and looked out over the city of Port Charles, he didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes. Remembering everything that happened since the plane crash, he tried to sound normal, but his voice came out gruffly. "I'm sorry."

Sam could see the tension in his back and she knew this conversation was coming. "Jason, there's nothing to be sorry for."

He turned to disagree but she cut him off. "Sam…"

"No, I will not have you blaming yourself, none of this was in our control Jason. If anything, it was my fault for trusting him, for bringing him into our lives. I'm sorry."

"Baby, you didn't do anything wrong…"

"Neither did you."

The conviction in her voice made his heart sore. She believed in him, she loved him, but he loved her more. She made him feel as if he were invincible as if he could do no wrong. She accepted him and breathed life into him. Nobody made him feel alive as she did. Wanting to be near her, wanting to hold her, he carefully made his way to her but the door opening caught his attention. He stopped in his tracks to give his full attention to the person that walked over the threshold.

"Sam, Jason." Patrick addressed the two as he opened her chart to check her vitals. "Steve was called in to surgery and asked me to check on your progress." Looking up, he wasn't surprised to see a measure of hostility smother him from the enforcer. He knew they were going to have questions regarding his wife's cousin, so he decided to beat them to the punch. "I'm sorry, but I had to do it. I had treat him."

"Why?" Sam asked. "And don't give me that crap about being a doctor and your oath."

Glad to see some fire back in her, Patrick chose his words wisely. "The oath has nothing to do with it. If it was up to me, that bastard would be long gone by now, but… I couldn't do that to Robin. For some reasons unknown, she loves him and she was only trying to do the right thing." Looking directly into Jason's eyes, he spoke firmly. "I know you're mad, I know you want nothing more than to kill him, but I assure you that he won't get away this time. There are two guards outside his door, he's handcuffed to the bed and Robin's mother is on her way here with Aidan's superiors. They'll arrive tonight to take him back to whatever base he left."

"I need to see her." Jason didn't need to tell him who.

Patrick shook his head. "She's talking to Mac. Look Jason, I know you feel betrayed. She's knows what she did in your eyes is wrong, but she's trying to make up for it." Looking down at Sam, Patrick spoke sincerely. "We have taken every precaution to make sure that you're safe. I know you want to see him dead, and believe me, I don't want that bastard anywhere near my family, but he's alive and in recovery. The bullet missed all vital organs and he'll recover in a few days."

"He was shot in the back… Will he be able to walk?"

Patrick actually sighed with regret and nodded. "Yes, there's nothing to indicate that he won't be able to walk out of here, but it's not possible Jason. Aside from the guards and handcuffs, the guy just came out of surgery and is still under heavy anesthesia. By the time he wakes up, his superiors will be here to take him away."

When no further questions were asked, Patrick checked her vitals and looked over the tests. "Everything looks good but I want you to stay overnight for observation. The drugs haven't completely been flushed from your system and I want to make sure that everything's ok before you leave." He could barely make out the agreement through her clenched teeth but he'll take it. He turned to leave but gave them one last look. "I'll keep you informed about Aidan's status."

After Patrick left, Jason took his place back next to Sam's bed. Seeing her yawn, Jason lifted up her hand to his lips, placed a kiss upon it and held it against his face. "You should get some sleep."

"I'm not tired." Sam tried to sound sure but the yawn that she desperately tried to hold back betrayed her. She smiled sheepishly at him as her eyelids drooped.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah right." He stood to place a kiss on her forehead as he brushed her hair back from her face. "I'm going to talk to Sonny. Max is right outside your door, your safe, so just get some sleep. Do it now because I'm sure Molly and Kristina are on their way up her now."

"I miss them." She gave him a warm smile that warmed his blood. Placing one last kiss to her shut eyes, Jason stood up and left the room. After shutting the door quietly, he looked at Max. "No one goes in there that's not her family or treating her. Understand?"

"Yes sir. Sonny came by to talk to you but you with were with Miss McCall. He wanted to talk to you about the Aidan situation."

Nodding, Jason turned to find Sonny, but first he needed to have a few words with Robin.

Aidan carefully opened his eyes as soon as he heard the nurse leave his hospital room. Looking at the IV that was attached to his arm that was handcuffed to the hand rail of his bed, Aidan used the other arm to snatch the IV line and bend it to stop the morphine from dripping into his blood stream. A satisfied grin spread across his hard mouth at realizing how inept the PCPD were. Through their incompetence to only secure his right arm to the side bar, they disregarded his left, no doubt thinking that he would be too weak or passed out to move. Little did they know that Aidan had been awake for the past hour, biding his time until he was finally alone in his room. His entire body ached but his mind was in constant movement. He knew what needed to be done. He needed to get up, he needed to escape, and he needed Samantha. To be away from her was more painful than the gun shot that exploded through him.

Keeping the line bent, he pulled at the tape that held the needle in his arm. Carefully, he extracted the needle and held it up in triumph. Bringing it to his mouth, he placed the line between his teeth and worked to remove the needle. Using it as a lock pick, he inserted it into the key hole of the handcuffs and worked efficiently to open them. At hearing the click, Aidan's grinned widened as the removed the cuffs from his arm. He laid there for a few moments, moving each part of his body slowly, stretching his limbs and testing his muscles. His back was on fire but he was thankful that his arms and legs were movable and with little pain. Scanning the room, Aidan noticed the guard standing with his back towards him outside his room. He didn't mind, that wouldn't stop him, nothing would. Seeing the cabinet full with medicine bottles to his left, Aidan carefully and slowly rose from his bed, keeping one eye to the guard outside the door.

Grunting with the pain and effort that it took just for him to stand, Aidan held on the rolling table in front of him as he took deep breaths to keep himself from falling. His head swam with dizziness, he felt nauseous, and he was in pain but he had been through this before. Working with the Special Ops, he often found himself in the same conditions, sometimes worse. This wouldn't faze him.

A quick glance to the door, he slowly made his way over to the cabinet. Finding exactly what he needed, he pulled the container of non-drowsy pain killers, dumped out two pills and swallowed them dry. Morphine would have been great but he needed to escape. Remembering the guard at the door, he grabbed a different bottle and syringe. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Aidan made his way slowly back to his bed. Lowering himself back down, he took a few deep breaths and was glad when the medication was quickly working. He could barely feel the pain anymore. Now was the time. He held up the bottle of anesthesia and plunged the syringe in the cap. Not caring about the volume, Aidan pulled on the plunger until the syringe was full, pulled it out and carefully placed it in his left hand. He hid the bottle under his blanket and rearranged his right arm into the cuffs to create the illusion that he was still locked up. "Help!" He called out in a deep moan. "Someone help!"

Hearing the guard rush into the room, Aidan acted as if he was in intense pain. Pretending to be writhing in pain, Aidan made sure to wait until the office reached for the nurse call button before he jammed the needle into the officer's neck and pressed down on the plunger. The officer fell down on the bed instantly, his hand dropped a mere few inches from the button. Pushing the guard over but not off the bed, Aidan rose. He felt no pain, he felt invincible, but right now he needed to be invisible. Looking through the cabinets, he found a pair of scrubs on the bottom shelf. Removing his gown, he was amazed at the strength he had to pull the scrubs on.

Moving quickly to the officer, he stripped off the other man's uniform and pulled his arms through the hospital gown. After rearranging the unconscious man in his place, Aidan handcuffed the man to the bed and pulled the blanket over him. "I'm coming for you Samantha. And this time, nothing will keep us apart." Making sure not to be seen, Aidan snuck out the room with the officer's gun under the waist band of his stolen scrubs.

"Robin!"

Robin heard her name called and turned to find Jason bearing down on her with Sonny at his heels. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to face her friends, or so she hoped they would still be friends. She held up her hands in defeat. "Jason, I'm sorry but I had to do it."

"You had to do it? Are you kidding me? Do you know what that fucking psycho did to Sam, to me, even to Brenda? The son of a bitch kidnapped Sam and made everyone believe that she was dead! You didn't have to do anything! You should've just…"

"Just what! Just what Jason, let him die! I should've just let my cousin die, my family! I can't do that! No matter what he's done, I couldn't just sit back and do nothing for him. I had to save him."

"He doesn't deserve it!" Jason barely managed to keep from roaring.

Robin knew why he was pissed, and yeah he had a right to be, but she was sick and tired of defending her actions. "Who are you to judge? I know what he did was wrong, I was there remember, he held me at gun point, but I can't turn my back on him. How the hell was I going to look at my aunt again without the guilt eating me? How was I going to look her in the eye and tell her that I could've helped him but I didn't!" She choked up in the end.

Seeing the tears run down her cheeks, Sonny tried to intervene. "Alright Robin, just calm down."

Swallowing the sob that threatened to escape, Robin took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that he hurt you, I'm sorry that he hurt Sam, but we've taken the necessary precautions to make sure that he doesn't get away." She hated seeing the look of betrayal on their faces but she had no other chose, she just hoped that they would accept her apology and in time they would understand her decisions. "I just spoke to my mom, they're almost here. They're not going to wait for Aidan to recover, they're transporting him tonight. He's leaving Port Charles tonight under heavy guard."

Jason could hear the defeat and sadness in her voice. He knew that she was truly sorry but he wasn't ready to forgive her yet. "Where is he now?"

Robin shook her head insistently. "No, I'm sorry I can't tell you that. I know what you want to do, and I can't let that happen. It's almost done Jason, just give me a few more hours and he'll…" She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence when a nurse ran up to them in a panic.

"Dr. Drake, Dr. Drake, its Mr. Devane, he's not in his room." The nurse managed to get out as she tried to catch her breath.

Jason's blood instantly turned cold. Fear gripped his body in a vice and terror threatened to overrule him. He barely heard Robin question the nurse, his only thoughts were only on Sam. As if his body had a mind of its own, Jason ran to the stairs that lead to the floor to Sam's room not caring who followed him or where Sonny and Robin went, he needed to get to Sam. His entire being demanded that he get to her and God help anyone that got in his way.

He knew it was meant to be, knew it in the depths of his soul that he was meant to be with his Samantha. He was not questioned when he used the hospital computer to find her room number, not once stopped as he made his way to her room, and when the guard to her room was turned the other way, Aidan snuck up behind him and nailed him with the butt of his gun. It was too easy. It was destiny. They were meant to be together and this proved it. His breathing increased as he spied her laying so peacefully in her bed through the window to her room. His sleeping beauty, and he was going to be her Prince.

Closing the door with a soft click, Aidan slowly made his way to her bed, careful not to wake the women he loved from her slumber. She was so beautiful and he ached to hold her in his arms again. Reaching out slowly, Aidan's hands shook as he gently pushed her hair from her face, admiring her magnificence. She was exquisite and she was all his. Leaning over her, Aidan softly brushed his lips against hers, his taste buds soaring at the delicious taste of her again. "Samantha." He whispered softly against her lips, feeling the soft warms puffs of her breath brush his lips. He was going to die if he didn't have her soon. Was it possible to expire from the shear want of something? "Samantha, darling, it's time to go." He couldn't help himself as he kissed her soft lips once more. He pulled back and smiled down at her as she opened her chocolate brown eyes.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Closing the door with a soft click, Aidan slowly made his way to her bed, careful not to wake the women he loved from her slumber. She was so beautiful and he ached to hold her in his arms again. Reaching out slowly, Aidan's hands shook as he gently pushed her hair from her face, admiring her magnificence. She was exquisite and she was all his. Leaning over her, Aidan softly brushed his lips against hers, his taste buds soaring at the delicious taste of her again. "Samantha." He whispered softly against her lips, feeling the soft warms puffs of her breath brush his lips. He was going to die if he didn't have her soon. Was it possible to expire from the shear want of something? "Samantha, darling, it's time to go." He couldn't help himself as he kissed her soft lips once more. He pulled back and smiled down at her as she opened her chocolate brown eyes.

Sam felt the feather light kisses along her gently parted lips. The soft touch soothing, yet at times unsatisfying when in the heat of a passionate moment. Thinking Jason had come back to wake her up, she opened her eyes with a small smile on her lips. But before she can register the man before her, she felt a sharp sting to her arm. She winced and turned her head sharply to the pain, focusing on the needle that was being extracted from her skin. Ignoring the small bead of blood that was forming, she turned back to the man, stopping within an inch of his face. Her eyes widened as she finally registered that the man before her was not the man she loved, he was not Jason Morgan, he was, "Aidan…" She was so shocked, barely managed to breathe the word before his hard hand clamped her mouth shut as he pressed her firmly against the pillow.

Dropping the needle, Aidan knew he had few precious seconds to lose before all hell breaks loose. He mourned the loss instantly when he saw her softened eyes hardened to cold steel. He just needed to restrain her for a few seconds before the drug he gave her took effect. "Shhhh… my darling, shhhh, it's going to be alright, no worries luv, I've got you, shhhh I've got you." He winced as he felt her nails dig into his wrist that was holding her mouth closed. He knew she would be unhappy because she was such a strong and independent woman, and when they were far away from Port Charles, he knew in his heart and soul that she would forgive him. "Just a minute longer my love. Don't worry, I'll take you away from here, away from Morgan, away from all this violence." He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead then instantly jumped back as her hands went to slash face. Chuckling, he grabbed her flailing arms, noticing that she was more sluggish now. "Now Samantha, I know you're mad at me love, but it's for the best, you'll see, I'll make you happier than Morgan ever could." His eyes twinkling at the future he could see before them. "I promise you."

Panic made her heart pump so violently that the drug he gave her raced its way throughout her entire system. She could already feel the effects, her heart rate was slowing down, her thinking fogged, her movements slow, her reflexes dulling. She felt lazy and lethargic, but not sleepy. She felt as if everything was in slow motion and it took her a minute to process what was happening to her and her body. He drugged her again, but this was different, she felt relaxed beyond caring.

Aidan removed his hand from her mouth. He was still bent over her, using the bed for support. His body was still recovering from surgery and the only thing that was keeping him upright, was that he had to get to the woman he loved. Sensing her slow movements, he took a chance to remove his hand from her mouth.

"Wh… what… what did you do to me?" She whispered breathlessly as she could feel the tingles spreading from her arms and chest down to her legs and toes. Feeling numb.

Smoothing her silken hair off her forehead, he answered, "Just a muscle relaxer luv, a pretty strong one, but I couldn't carry you out of here so I need you to help me out, okay? Now…" Wincing as he stood up, grateful he found the pain killer he injected himself with seemed to be working, it took the bite out of the sharp pain into a dull constant throb without putting him down. He was lucky and he knew that he was pushing himself, but this was a miracle and his destiny to be with the woman he loves that nothing was going to stop him. "We have to go…" Seeing her about to protest, he dropped the blanket that he pulled from her and placed his finger over her lips. "Shhhh my love, we have to do this, I know you're tired but I promise everything will be okay. Now come on. Up you go." He gently helped her out of bed and held her up against himself to keep her from falling. Feeling the throbbing pain get worse, he located the wheel chair in the corner and hobbled his way toward it and placed her in the seat.

"No… Aidan, you… you can't do this…" Sam tried to push through the fog, hating the way she was feeling, it was as if she had absolutely no control of herself, her hands, her feet, even her head. She struggled as much as she could to get off, knowing that she couldn't just sit there and wait to be rescued. "Please, Jason will…"

"No!" He barked at her at hearing that name. "Don't move Samantha, I will get us out of here." Frustrated with her struggling efforts, he realized he had to do something fast or she was going to fall making it impossible for him to help her up. He turned as quickly as he could and searched the drawers for something to help tie her down. Seeing the straps that they used to secure irate patients to their hospital beds, Aidan grabbed the straps and tied her wrists and ankles to the chair. He grabbed the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her body to hide the straps.

Sam tried to struggle as much as she could but she couldn't get free, she could barely move. Knowing her voice was the only thing she had, she tried to scream, "JAS….!" But was cut off and muffled when Aidan slapped his hand over her mouth. "Stop Samantha, stop struggling, stop fighting it, I will never let you get away. Do you understand me? You. Are. Mine!" Grabbing a clean towel off the counter, he balled it up and shoved it in her mouth, placing a hospital mask over it to cover up the evidence. "There. Just sit still and quiet luv, I'm getting us out of here." Pushing the wheel chair towards the now open door, he made sure that her bodyguard was still passed out on the chair before he wheeled her out towards the elevator doors. He picked up his slow, excruciating pace when he heard the distinct sounds of pounding footsteps coming from behind him and towards the hospital room. **"** **SAM!"** He ignored the shouting and smiled as the elevator doors opened for him. He turned the wheelchair around and watched the scene unfold as he pressed the ground floor button. Morgan and his bodyguard were in a heated discussion as his cousin frantically spoke to the nurses. "Sorry Robin but thanks for your help." He whispered out as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

Jason couldn't get to the room fast enough, taking the steps up two at a time and running down the hall. Not caring who was in his way or who was observing, he pulled out his gun from the back of his waist band and came to a skidding halt right outside of Sam's hospital room. Panic threatening to engulf him as he saw Max asleep in a hospital chair outside of Sam's wide open door. **"** **SAM!"**

He knew she wouldn't be in there, knew deep down in his soul that she wasn't there, but he couldn't help the quick and frantic search when he rushed into the room. No Sam. But his heart still pounded in his chest, threatening to break right out of his rib cage. He ran outside when he heard Max muttering just as Robin caught up to him. "Oh no." Ignoring her and seeing the other man wake up, Jason shook him a little too forcefully. "Max! Dammit Max wake up! **MAX**!" As Max came around, Jason hauled him up out of the chair to get his circulation moving. "Tell me where Sam is!"

"What?" Max mumbled as he tried to straighten himself up trying not to stumble. "Sam?"

"Yeah, Sam, where is she? What happened?" He was sure Max wouldn't know but he needed a place to start. He was scared and frustrated as hell with everything and everyone around him making it hard to think. "Max! Where is Sam?"

"I… I don't know…I… don't know what happened." Max turned towards the room and his eyes widened at seeing the empty disheveled bed. "I don't know Jason, I was standing here one minute and the next I know… nothing… I don't know." Gaining more control of his body, he waited for his boss to give him further instructions.

She was gone and Jason knew that Aidan has her, but where? And how long have they been missing? Hearing Robin tell the nurses to alert all personal and security in the hospital to search for them, Jason turned back to Max. "Call Sonny. Tell him that Aidan has Sam and we need men to search the hospital, all floors including the basement, and we need some outside to search the surrounding area. Now!" Instructions given, Jason shot down the hall towards the elevators with Max and Robin right behind him. He figured that Aidan would grab Sam and get her away as quick as possible. Hearing one set of the elevators ding, Jason was suddenly overwhelmed with a vast amount of security, police, and armed men that looked like Special Ops and in the midst of them all was Robin's mother, Anna Devane.

"What's going on? She looked from Jason to Robin. "We heard the call go through the entire hospital. Where's Aidan?"

"I don't have time to explain, Robin will tell you. Aidan kidnapped Sam again and I think he's headed on his way out." He skipped waiting for the elevators and ran towards to stairs.

"He just had surgery so he can't be fast and he won't be able to carry her out of here." Robin put in. "He might have found a wheelchair or another bed so look for that."

Barely giving her a nod, Jason pushed the door open and ran down steps with Max hearing Anna direct some Special Ops to follow him. He didn't care though, he didn't care if the entire army was right behind him. The only thing he cared about was getting Sam back and killing Aidan Devane.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

She couldn't believe this was happening again. How much more could her body take with all the drugs he had injected into her system, she remembered Patrick telling her that they would wear off, but would they wear off in time for her to escape. The last thing she saw before the elevator doors close was Jason running frantically in the room. Her heart skipped a beat thinking about how Jason looked so worried. She knew that he would tear this hospital upside down until he found her. But would he be safe from Aidan. She couldn't take the chance of Aidan hurting him, she had to fight her own battle this time. She had to find a way to get free, she just needed to move. Looking at Aidan, she could see that he could barely hold himself up, using the elevator wall and rail as a support. He had his eyes closed as they descended to the main floor. She needed to gage the amount of drugs that he had given her this time, he said he used a muscle relaxer but how much. She could still move all her extremities, but she felt very slow and lethargic. Bending over, she used her right hand to tug the mask down and pull the towel from her mouth. Swallowing a few times to relieve the dryness, she carefully looked up to see that he still had his eyes closed. Knowing she only had few precious seconds, she quietly tugged the Velcro with her teeth and pushed the end of the strap to her hand so that she could tug on it slowly bit by bit. She just needed to distract him. "Aidan… listen to me. What… whatever you p-plan on doing isn't go-going to work…" She tried to talk through the dizziness that overtook her as she sat back up.

Aidan's eyes snapped open, aimed right at her. "Samantha… please sweetheart you must keep your mask on." He was tired, he just needed a minute to rest and then he would get them out of this damn hospital so that they could finally start their life together. Without Morgan.

As he made a move towards her, she pulled her head back and gave him her tear filled eyes, using her best pleading voice. "Please, don't put it back on, I… I can't breathe… Please Aidan, don't hurt me…" She knew sympathy was the best way to go at this point, she just needed to play him long enough to make sure that he body was functioning to full capacity so that she can get away from him. "Don't hurt me." She whispered pleadingly.

She knew she had him when he reared back as if she slapped him. He looked at her with wide eyes. "How… how can you think that I would ever hurt you…" Aidan whispered imploringly. "Samantha, I would never do anything to hurt you, I love you."

Sam did her best to not roll her eyes, didn't he realize that he had been hurting her since she met him? After everything he has done to her and to Jason. "Then please don't gag me. I'll go with you, just don't…"

Coming undone by the tears falling freely down her cheeks, Aidan hobbled towards her. Gently cradling her cheeks as if she was the finest china, Adian felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest by her pleading. "Oh my sweet Samantha, if you promise not to scream… I won't put the mask on." He gently brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Don't cry love, we will be together soon… shhh… I promise, we are almost free." He was in pain, a throbbing in his back and side, but none of that was going to stop him from kissing her.

It took all of her will to sit still as he lowered his head to kiss her, but Sam knew that if she could distract him long enough, she could tear the Velcro strap off her wrist. She just wished she could make enough noise to hide the sound from the straps from exposing her, she could get away quicker. But before his lips touched hers, the elevator doors opened for the main floor revealing her cousin and her mother standing there staring them with wide eyes.

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Taking the stairs down two at a time, Jason was frantic to get down to the main floor to get to Sam. But first, he needed to make sure that Aidan Devane didn't leave this hospital alive. He might have understood Robin's need to help her family but at this point, he didn't give a shit. Sam was his number one priority and anyone else was going to be collateral damage. He had to get to her and he had to keep her safe by killing that bastard.

Reaching the door out of the stairwell, Jason turned to Anna Devane's men and security behind him. "Some of you follow me and secure all exits, the rest of you check the basement." Not waiting for a reply, Jason burst through the door. Almost knocking a nurse over in his haste, he ran towards the elevators right across the main hospital entrance. He could see Nikolas and Alexis waiting for the elevators, realizing in all the chaos, he forget to tell them about Aidan kidnapping Sam again. He could see the elevator doors opening and just before he could call out to them, a gunshot echoed through the halls. Seeing Nikolas protect Alexis, Jason ran right to the doors, and the last sight he saw before the doors closed was a sight that was going to haunt him forever: Sam and Aidan fighting for the gun.

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When Sam saw her family standing before her shocked with wide eyes, she was about to scream for help. And even though Aidan just had surgery hours ago, his Special Opps training gave him the strength and speed to turn around, draw his gun and aim it at her family. Recognizing that she could lose someone she loved, adrenaline flooded her blood stream to give the extra strength to rip the remaining restraint from her right wrist. "NOOOO!" Just as he was about to fire, Sam grabbed onto Aidan's wrist and pushed her body up with all her might. His arm raised high and the shot went over her family's head. The elevator doors closed. Aidan fought to try to disengage her from him, but she wouldn't let go. She was tired of being the victim, tired of waiting for people to rescue her, she wasn't weak and despite the muscle relaxer weakening her strength, she would fight and fight until she couldn't fight anymore.

"LET GO! Samantha let go!" Aidan tried to pull his arm free. Sam tripped over the wheel chair in their fight, and with her left hand still strapped to the armrest she used his body as leverage and jerked him down. The gun shot went off two more times, hitting the elevators buttons and causing the alarm to go off and the elevator shut down.

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"DAMN IT!" Jason hit the elevator doors as they closed. "SAMM!" He almost there, he almost had her and that son of bitch. Turning to make sure that Nikolas and Alexis were fine just as Sonny ran towards them, Jason stepped back to watch the number of floors light up to see where the elevator stopped.

"Was that Sam?" Alexis asked frantically at the same time Nikolas asked, "Jason! What the hell happened?"

Not looking away from the lit number 1, Jason answered. "Aidan got to Sam." He knew he should be hitting the stairs again to cut them off as soon as he saw the next number light up, but something kept him in place. Something was wrong. The elevator was taking too long to move.

"Again? How did he get to her again?" "I thought you had guards on her?" "Where is he taking my daughter?"

Jason was frozen in place, he knew something was definitely wrong. Why wasn't the elevator moving? What was happening in there? What was that bastard doing to Sam? His fists clenched just thinking about Sam fighting off that bastard. He stepped up to put his ears to the closed doors and tried to listen, he could here Aidan shouting and the fight he knew was happening but he couldn't hear Sam. Not able to hear over Alexis and Nikolas' questions, Jason turned to them with fire in his eyes. "SHUTUP!" As he was about to turn back, his heart stopped as he heard two more gunshots.

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She was tiring, she could feel her body prepare to quit but she wasn't ready to lose the fight. Using the last of her strength, Sam jerked Aidan towards her as she lifted herself and rammed her knee into his rib cage. Aidan grunted and went down, pulling her on top of him with the gun firmly lodged between them. She had managed to get her hand on the gun but she didn't have the best position to fight, especially with her left arm still strapped to the chair.

"I won't let you go Samantha…" Aidan grunted. The wound on his back was on fire and his body was giving out, but he wouldn't give up. "Don't you see, we belong together, I will never let you go." He managed to get out with clenched teeth. He didn't want to hurt her, but he would if she tried to escape him.

Fighting with everything she had, Sam was losing, she knew she was losing the fight. "SAAMM!" Her heart perked up hearing Jason through the doors. "Sam can you hear me?!" Yes, she could hear him but she didn't have the strength to answer. Even though she was fighting with one hand, she used her body as leverage to keep him pinned down. "SAM!" She wanted to yell that she was there, that she wasn't going to quit fighting, that she would fight for them. Raising her leg between them, Sam found the strength to knee him in the side.

Jerking from the pain, Aidan pulled the gun between them trying to free his arm. "You belong to me Samantha, always…"

Going with the gun as he jerked her, Sam got a better hold of the gun as she stared into his evil brown eyes. "I belong to Jason." She lurched back as Aidan screamed "NO!" Flipping them over, Sam's head hit the elevator wall with a painful thud just as the gun went off. Sam didn't have to time to process the pain as everything went black.

 *************************************************

As the last shot went off, there was utter and complete silence. Jason could only hear the drum of his heart beating like thunder in his ears. "Jason…" "SHH!" Jason hushed Sonny as he pushed his ear up against the doors. Time stood still, everyone stood still, nothing moved, everyone afraid to breathe. Jason was slowly dying inside not knowing what was happening to the woman he loved behind closed doors. Hearing nothing, Jason faced the hospital security guards. "Get me something to open these doors." Just as they were about to argue, Jason barked at them. "NOW!" Backing up, he tried to force his hands in between the doors to pry them open. He made room as he felt Nikolas come underneath him to do the same.

"What's going on? Oh God what's happening?"

Jason could hear the anxiety in Alexis' voice but he didn't have it in him to reassure her that Sam was fine. He needed someone to reassure him that she was. This couldn't be the end. This couldn't be it for them. She was his whole world, she completed him in every way and she was his necessity for breathing. Having almost lost her once, Jason knew the pain and devastation that her death would cause him. He strained with all his might to get the doors open, but as the seconds went by at hearing nothing but silence, Jason was truly scared.

"Jason, here." Handing the crowbar the maintenance man gave him off to Jason, Sonny stepped back and held on to Alexis. "Sam will be fine. She'll be fine."

Jason placed with bar between the door and threw all of his strength into it while Nikolas still tried to pry them open with his hands. In no time the doors were open and the sight before him froze him to his place. Sam, eyes closed, was lying on her back in a pool of blood with Aidan on top of her. "Sam." He breathed her name in a prayer.

Hearing Alexis scream her daughter's name, Jason and Nikolas unfroze and dove towards the two. As Nikolas pulled Aidan off of Sam, they could see the bullet had gone through his chest. They knew he was dead. As he looked down at the woman he loved, Jason's breath hitched at seeing the blood all over Sam's hospital gown. Her left arm was at an unnatural angle and she was deathly still. With great care, Jason carefully unstrapped her left arm but didn't let go as he knelt over her. "Sam." He softly called to her. "Sam? Can you hear me? Wake up baby, please Sam." He could feel her breathing, but she was still deathly still. Checking her over, Jason let out a breath. "It's not her blood." Realizing he was still speaking softly, he looked up to the crowd and spoke louder. "It's not her blood. Get a doctor." Being careful not to move her too much, Jason brought her hand to his lips and brushed the hair from her face. "Sam, baby, can you hear me?"

"Jason move out of the way." Patrick said as him and Robin pushed their way into the elevator. Ignoring Robin's cry over her fucked up cousin, Jason backed up a step to help Patrick lift Sam and carefully place her on the gurney. As they wheeled her out, Jason kept up pace as they ran her to the examination room. Staying by her head, he gently set her hand back down so that Patrick can exam her while he stepped back.

Just as he was about to exit the room so that the staff could work on her, Jason froze when he heard the sweetest sound. "Jason?" His name was softly whispered. Running back to Sam, Jason almost broke down when he saw her beautiful brown eyes lock onto him. "Is it over?" Her voice soft asked.

His only response. "Yeah baby, it's over." Kissing her softly on the lips, he whispered against them. "Yes Sam, it's finally over."


	34. Chapter 34

**Epilogue**

 _"_ _I won't let you go Samantha…" Aidan grunted._

Asleep in her hospital bed, Sam was caught in the middle of a nightmare. She was with Aidan in the elevator and they were fighting over the gun. She could see the disturbing emotions in his eyes. They were lit up with rage, desire, nervousness, and the most sickening, excitement. He was excited, she was giving him that and it made her feel sick.

 _"_ _Don't you see, we belong together, I will never let you go." He managed to get out with clenched teeth._

Her head thrashed back and forth as the nightmare continued. It wouldn't be too much longer until the gun went off but she wanted to end this horror now.

Jason woke up from the chair beside Sam's bed, hearing her moan. He could tell that she was in the middle of a nightmare, not unusual for what she went through. But when he heard his name cried desperately from her lips, he moved to her. Leaning over her, he stroked her hair gently, his lips to her forehead as he softly whispered her name, "Sam…"

Still locked in the chains of her nightmare, Sam could hear Jason call her name. She remembered he was on the other side of the doors. "Jason…" she murmured out again and again.

 _Jerking from the pain, Aidan pulled the gun between them trying to free his arm. "You belong to me Samantha, always…"_

"No, no, no…" She was still fighting him. When was this going to end? No, she didn't belong to him, she is and will always belong to Jason. "No, no…"

"Sam, baby, you need to wake up…" Jason kept on whispering so not to scare her. He could see the fine sheer of swear glisten her skin. He knew this was getting bad. "Sam…" He called louder, "Sam, you need to wake up."

 _"_ _You belong to me Samantha, always…" Aidan repeated over and over._

"Sam wake up, come back to me…" She heard Jason louder through the doors.

 _"_ _You belong to me Samantha, always…"_

"NO!" She screamed in her dream. "I belong to Jason…" **BANG!** The gun went off and broke the chains. She woke up with a start. Her heart was beating so fast and so hard, her chest ached. She was covered in sweat and she stared about the room with wide eyes looking for her assailant, for the man that terrorized her, Jason, and her family.

Giving her room, Jason backed up and watched with pain as Sam fought off the after effects of her nightmare. He was so pissed and so close to tearing this room apart in his rage, but that's not what Sam needed right now. He had to calm her down. "Sam…" He called gently to her, hoping that she would wake up and realize that it was over, that he was here for her. "Sam, it's over baby."

"No…" She frantically shook her head back and forth, "No… A…Aidan was here, he was right here…" Throwing the covers off, she tried to step off the bed but couldn't avoid the IV wire, bumping the pole, she sent it rolling back.

"Sam!" Jason immediately jumped to action but had to step back at the wild look in her eyes, she was still locked in her terror. "No, Sam, Aidan is dead." He held up his hands to calm her down. "Remember, you killed him in the elevator." He could see her processing the information, but her eyes kept on going to the door. He moved a few feet to block her view so that she can focus on him. "You're at GH, you were hurt."

"Aidan…"

"No." He had to grit his teeth to stop from swearing. Hearing his name was like fingernails on a chalkboard, he couldn't listen to it any longer, especially out of her mouth. He was one step from finding the bastard's body and ripping it to shreds. "He's never going to hurt you again, he's dead."

"Dead?" She blinked her confusion. Looking around the room, Sam slowly took in her surroundings. She was indeed in a hospital room, she could feel the IV in her arm, and the man she loved was standing in front of her. "Jason…" She breathed and took a shaky step towards him.

Rushing to her, Jason carefully cradled the woman he loved in his arms. "Yeah baby, it's me, you're safe." Holding her close, he placed a soft kiss to the top of her head, breathing in her scent. Only one word comes to his mind is 'home'. She was his home, his peace, his sanity and his heart. "Everything is going to be ok." Pulling her back gently, Jason kept a gentle hold on her as he examined her. He held her face delicately in his hands. "You've been out of it for a pretty long time. I need to call Patrick to exam you ok?"

Nodding, Sam held on to his shoulders. She didn't want to let him go, but she could tell that he was worried about her. "Ok." Releasing him slowly, she held on to the bed rail as he let her go.

"Maybe you should get back in bed." Jason suggested, seeing the exhaustion in her posture.

"No." Sam shook her head a little too forceful. She could hear the panic in her voice. "No, I'm sick of hospital beds. I just…" She took a deep breath to calm down. "I just want to go home." She finished on a stronger note.

Before he could reach for the handle, the door opened. He was already close to losing it and seeing Robin wasn't helping his temper. "You need to leave." He gritted out. He stood protectively in front of Sam staring down the woman who used to be his friend.

"I just wanted to apologize for everything that Aidan did to Sam." Robin knew she was walking a fine line, but she owed them an apology.

"What _Aidan_ did to Sam? What _he_ did?" Jason stood confounded, was she serious. "What about what _you_ did?"

"I know you feel like what I did was wrong, but I couldn't turn my back, he was my family, I thought I could get him help and I was wrong, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for everything. I made the choice I could live with."

He could see the tears in her eyes, but he just didn't give a fuck anymore. She chose her side and it wasn't with them. He felt a soft hand on his back and he looked back to see the confusion in Sam's eyes. He suddenly remembered that Sam didn't know what Robin had done. She didn't know that Robin chose to help her psychotic cousin. Looking back at Robin, he tried to hold on to his rage. "You should've let that bastard die, he didn't care about you, he didn't care about anything but his sick obsession on Sam. You should've let him die out in woods and not given him the chance to hurt Sam again!" His voice had grown to a yell. He was so tired, so sick and tired of her sanctimonious crap that he couldn't stand the sight of her anymore. She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to stop her. "Just go, just get the fuck out and never come near me and Sam again."

Nodding, Robin knew that there was nothing she could say to make this right. She knew he would hate her but she was the one that had to look at herself in the mirror everyday. And when her daughter looked at her with innocent eyes and unconditional love, she wanted to be worthy. "I'm sorry." She whispered out the last words and turned to leave, but stopped when her name was called.

"Robin…" Sam could feel Jason's anger radiate around the room in suffocating levels, but she had something to say. "I'm not going to apologize for killing him, what he did to me and everyone I love was unforgivable. I don't know what you did or why you did it, and honestly I don't care. I just know that it's over. And I know that you made your choice. You chose to save a murderer that you barely spoke over your friendship with Jason. I hope it was worth it." Turning her back to the other woman, Sam stepped closer to Jason. Fitting herself to his side, she snuggled into his warmth as he wrapped his loving arms around her. In a way, she understood Robin's loyalty to family. But that excuse only goes so far, especially if they were dangerous psychopaths. But enough of that. She didn't Robin in her life, she knew that Jason would be hurt by that loss, but she would always be there to help him. She loved him and that's all that mattered.

Holding Sam close, Jason wished that they were able to merge as one. He loved her more than anything and she was all that he would ever need. He closed his eyes, holding her close and whispered a thank you to God for keeping the woman that held his heart and soul safe. He would spend the rest of his life making sure that she was happy and he would start it by making her his wife.

 **On a plane flying over the Atlantic…**

Robin woke up groggily tied to a chair, a gag over her mouth. She closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened. She remembered leaving Sam's room after Jason kicked her out then… nothing. Opening her eyes, she looks across from her and sees an older gentlemen standing over an oval pod shaped container.

Victor Cassadine ran his hands over the Cryogenic Capsule that held his newest WSB recruit, Aidan Devane. He looked over at the woman bound and gagged now awake across from him grinning wickedly. "Ah, Dr. Scorpio, we have many things to discuss."


End file.
